NBC is in a weird, delicate place right now emotionally after deciding it no longer [peacocks] comedy, so it’s calling up all of its old dramas just to check in, see how they’re doing, and ask if maybe they want to grab coffee and see how it feels. First, NBC reanimated Heroes as a limited-run series, and now the network is considering the same route with Law & Order, which was on the cusp of making history as primetime’s longest-running series before NBC canceled it in May 2010.
According to Deadline, the project is not yet in active development, but the idea of reviving Dick Wolf’s original L&O is one that NBC executives have batted around several times in the past. But the conversation has perked up again, with Deadline reporting that NBC is thinking about 10 new episodes and is approaching original cast members like Sam Waterston and Chris Noth to reprise their roles. Should the limited series go forward, it will put L&O into the history books and push it past Gunsmoke with a record 21st season. Sticklers will probably qualify the victory by mentioning that all of Gunsmoke’s seasons ran consecutively, but y‘know, haters gonna hate.
A new L&O would deepen NBC’s relationship with Wolf, who has once again tightened his grip on its primetime after the L&O franchise was whittled down, leaving Special Victims Unit as the last of the series. Wolf’s Chicago Fire and Chicago PD have both performed well for NBC and received early renewals this week, as did SVU. NBC is also considering another Wolf project, Chicago Med, which would solidify Wolf as the Shonda Rhimes of NBC.