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The Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 1

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Every episode of Law & Order Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 1!

The Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 1

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into...
  1. Background image for Prescription For Death
    8.0/10(919 votes)

    #1 - Prescription For Death

    S1:E1

    When a young woman dies during a hectic emergency room night shift, her father claims the hospital was negligent, and an investigation leads the detectives to believe that the doctor treating her may have been drunk on duty.

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  2. Background image for Subterranean Homeboy Blues
    7.4/10(705 votes)

    #2 - Subterranean Homeboy Blues

    S1:E2

    The shooting of two black men by a white woman in a crowded subway initially appears to be a case of self-defense, but further investigation reveals revenge as a possible motive.

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  3. Background image for The Reaper's Helper
    7.5/10(647 votes)

    #3 - The Reaper's Helper

    S1:E3

    The death of a man with AIDS appears to be the work of a serial killer who may have been motivated by mercy.

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  4. Background image for Kiss the Girls And Make Them Die
    7.5/10(593 votes)

    #4 - Kiss the Girls And Make Them Die

    S1:E4

    Stone has difficulty prosecuting a privileged preppie with a history of abusing his girlfriends after one of them dies at his hands.

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  5. Background image for Happily Ever After
    7.6/10(551 votes)

    #5 - Happily Ever After

    S1:E5

    Greevey and Logan have a hunch that robbery is a cover for the real motive in the death of a millionaire in a parking garage.

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  6. Background image for Everybody's Favorite Bagman
    7.6/10(602 votes)

    #6 - Everybody's Favorite Bagman

    S1:E6

    The mugging of a councilman leads the detectives to arrest a mobster, who in turn leads Stone and Robinette to corrupt city officials.

    Writer:Dick Wolf
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  8. Background image for By Hooker, By Crook
    7.5/10(544 votes)

    #7 - By Hooker, By Crook

    S1:E7

    When Logan and Greevey investigate how a family man came to be found unconscious in Central Park, they uncover a very high-class call girl operation run by a well-educated socialite.

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  9. Background image for Poison Ivy
    7.8/10(531 votes)

    #8 - Poison Ivy

    S1:E8

    The shooting of a black honors student stirs up racial tensions, especially after it becomes apparent that the cop responsible for the death may have planted a gun on the body to excuse the shooting.

    Writer:Unknown
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  10. Background image for Indifference
    8.4/10(624 votes)

    #9 - Indifference

    S1:E9

    During the investigation into the death of a little girl in a respectable, middle-class family, Greevey and Logan uncover a myriad of family secrets involving abuse, molestation, and murder.

    Director:Unknown
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  11. Background image for Prisoner Of Love
    7.2/10(510 votes)

    #10 - Prisoner Of Love

    S1:E10

    A city arts commissioner and a socialite come under investigation when an artist noted for his sadomasochistic themes is found dead under suspicious circumstances.

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  12. Background image for Out Of The Half-Light
    7.7/10(514 votes)

    #11 - Out Of The Half-Light

    S1:E11

    Greevey and Logan's investigation into a black teenager's claim that she was raped by white policemen is hampered by a publicity hungry, black politician who will not grant the detectives access to the victim.

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  13. Background image for Life Choice
    7.8/10(517 votes)

    #12 - Life Choice

    S1:E12

    Stone faces pressure from the public and from Schiff as he prepares to prosecute the person accused of bombing an abortion clinic.

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  14. Background image for A Death In The Family
    7.6/10(477 votes)

    #13 - A Death In The Family

    S1:E13

    Police start a citywide manhunt for a man suspected of killing a cop during a rooftop pursuit.

    Director:Gwen Arner
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  15. Background image for The Violence Of Summer
    7.7/10(531 votes)

    #14 - The Violence Of Summer

    S1:E14

    Greevey and Logan reopen an investigation to help Stone and Robinette build a stronger case against three boys accused of gang-raping a TV reporter.

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  16. Background image for The Torrents Of Greed (1)
    7.8/10(489 votes)

    #15 - The Torrents Of Greed (1)

    S1:E15

    An assault on a candy storeowner leads Stone and Robinette to build a case against a powerful mafia don.

    Writer:Unknown
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  17. Background image for The Torrents Of Greed (2)
    7.9/10(484 votes)

    #16 - The Torrents Of Greed (2)

    S1:E16

    Stone tries to salvage his prosecution of the Masucci family when Beigel faces bribery charges and seems willing to turn against his brother-in-law.

    Writer:Unknown
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  18. Background image for Mushrooms
    8.1/10(507 votes)

    #17 - Mushrooms

    S1:E17

    The accidental shooting of two children by a 14-year-old hired killer leads to a drug dealer and a real estate agent.

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  19. Background image for The Secret Sharers
    7.4/10(434 votes)

    #18 - The Secret Sharers

    S1:E18

    Stone faces a flashy Texas lawyer and a hostile community as he tries to prosecute a young man accused of killing a drug dealer.

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  20. Background image for The Serpent's Tooth
    7.5/10(432 votes)

    #19 - The Serpent's Tooth

    S1:E19

    Two brothers appear to be the logical suspects in the murder of their wealthy parents.

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  21. Background image for The Troubles
    7.7/10(448 votes)

    #20 - The Troubles

    S1:E20

    Logan is forced to face his cultural biases when both a Cuban drug dealer and an Irish terrorist are suspected of killing a Lebanese gunrunner.

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  22. Background image for Sonata For Solo Organ
    8.0/10(465 votes)

    #21 - Sonata For Solo Organ

    S1:E21

    Stone and Robinette prosecute a surgeon and the wealthy father of a transplant patient for illegally obtaining a kidney.

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  23. Background image for The Blue Wall
    8.1/10(458 votes)

    #22 - The Blue Wall

    S1:E22

    Cragen comes under suspicion when his mentor in the department is investigated for laundering drug money.

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Prescription For Death" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order" season 1. It scored 8/10 based on 919 votes. Directed by John Whitesell and written by David Black, Ed Zuckerman, it aired on 9/13/1990. This episode is rated 0.6 points higher than the second-best, "Subterranean Homeboy Blues".