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The Best Episodes of Law & Order

Every episode of Law & Order ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Law & Order!

Best episode
S6E23 Aftershock
9.11,106 votes
Worst episode
S21E5 Free Speech
6.2564 votes
Top season
Season 7
7.9avg
Binge time
17d 4h
550 episodes
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons26

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Law & Order Season 6 Episode 23 - Aftershock
    9.1/10(1106 votes)

    S6:E23

    After Briscoe, Curtis, McCoy, and Kincaid witness the execution of a criminal they brought to justice, their unique reactions to the event culminate in personal tragedies for each of them.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Law & Order Season 6 Episode 21 - Pro Se
    8.8/10(693 votes)

    S6:E21

    The investigation into multiple homicides at a clothing store leads to the arrest of a schizophrenic who presents McCoy with a formidable opponent when he decides to represent himself.

    Director:Lewis Gould
    Writers:René Balcer, I.C. Rapoport

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  3. Law & Order Season 16 Episode 22 - Invaders
    8.8/10(556 votes)

    S16:E22

    The family of a man who once turned his customers into the police is slain, and the ensuing fracas pits McCoy against a corrupt D.E.A. agent.

    Director:Matthew Penn
    Writers:David Wilcox, Richard Sweren

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  4. Law & Order Season 13 Episode 23 - Couples
    8.7/10(545 votes)

    S13:E23

    Briscoe and Green catch four murders and a kidnapping on the same day, and get handed confessions in each case.

    Director:David Platt
    Writer:Lorenzo Carcaterra

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  5. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 23 - Rubber Room
    8.7/10(520 votes)

    S20:E23

    Detectives search for an anonymous blogger who has posted plans to blow up a school. Lt. Van Buren struggles to keep her personal issues private.

    Director:René Balcer
    Writer:René Balcer

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  6. Law & Order Season 14 Episode 1 - Bodies
    8.6/10(596 votes)

    S14:E1

    While investigating the death of a teenaged girl, the detectives stumble on a pattern of crimes that indicate they are after a serial killer. The suspect, however, puts the prosecutors through an ethical ringer when he discloses his attorney's knowledge of the victims and their whereabouts.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Law & Order

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  7. Law & Order Season 9 Episode 24 - Refuge (2)
    8.6/10(472 votes)

    S9:E24

    McCoy and Carmichael risk violating the civil liberties of witnesses when they are forced to jail them in order to safely continue their investigation.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writer:René Balcer

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  8. Law & Order Season 1 Episode 9 - Indifference
    8.5/10(722 votes)

    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:James Quinn
    Writer:Robert Palm

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  9. Law & Order Season 14 Episode 6 - Identity
    8.5/10(528 votes)

    S14:E6

    When a man is found murdered shortly after depositing almost $400,000 in his savings account, the investigation into the source of funds reveals that the victim ran an identity theft scam which left an elderly man homeless and impoverished.

    Director:Jace Alexander
    Writer:Janis Diamond

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  10. Law & Order Season 9 Episode 23 - Refuge (1)
    8.5/10(470 votes)

    S9:E23

    A shootout between a motorist and the police leads to the discovery of a gruesome Russian mob killing --- and a traumatized boy who was an eyewitness to the murder.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writer:René Balcer

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  11. Law & Order Season 23 Episode 5 - Last Dance
    8.5/10(380 votes)

    S23:E5

    When a woman is found murdered in Central Park, evidence points to two frequent park-goers: a street vendor and a tech billionaire. In the face of extreme political pressure, McCoy takes drastic action to make the case.

    Director:Alex Hall
    Writers:Rick Eid, Pamela J. Wechsler

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  12. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 8 - Prince of Darkness
    8.4/10(508 votes)

    S3:E8

    Cerreta poses as a weapons dealer to help Stone build a case against a Columbian hit man, but the deal takes an unexpected turn, resulting in bloodshed.

    Director:Gilbert M. Shilton
    Writers:Robert Nathan, William N. Fordes

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  13. Law & Order Season 7 Episode 5 - Corruption
    8.4/10(477 votes)

    S7:E5

    Curtis, angered by the attitude of an old colleague of Briscoe's, looks beyond the findings of an IAB investigation and turns up evidence of police corruption that puts the DA's office into competition with an ambitious judge and Briscoe under investigation for stealing evidence from a police lockup.

    Director:Matthew Penn
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Law & Order Season 4 Episode 8 - American Dream
    8.4/10(467 votes)

    S4:E8

    A skeleton unearthed at a building site resurrects one of Stone's old cases, and brings him face to face with the tenacious, brilliant culprit, who is seeking a new trial.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writer:Sibyl Gardner

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  15. Law & Order Season 4 Episode 22 - Old Friends
    8.4/10(466 votes)

    S4:E22

    A truck hits a pedestrian and the investigation reveals the victim's link to a baby-food company in which a new partner has connections to the Russian mob.

    Director:James Quinn
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Law & Order Season 7 Episode 17 - Showtime
    8.4/10(463 votes)

    S7:E17

    The trial of Eddie Newman begins but the prosecution's chances of conviction are hampered by a "dream team" of defense attorneys, Gorton's personal pressures on Ross, the public questioning of the relationship between Curtis and Lisa Lundquist, and a surprise accusation.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
    Writers:René Balcer, Gardner Stern, Ed Zuckerman

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  17. Law & Order Season 14 Episode 24 - C.O.D.
    8.4/10(452 votes)

    S14:E24

    Briscoe bids farewell to the 27 as the prosecution of two women for killing each other's husbands comes to a successful conclusion.

    Director:Matthew Penn
    Writers:Marc Guggenheim, Richard Sweren

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  18. Law & Order Season 18 Episode 14 - Burn Card
    8.4/10(429 votes)

    S18:E14

    Internal affairs takes a special interest in Detective Green after a gambler is found dead by his bullet, and the investigation turns up a part of his past he's taken pains to conceal.

    Director:Mario Van Peebles
    Writers:David Wilcox, René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Ed Zuckerman

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  19. Law & Order Season 16 Episode 9 - Criminal Law
    8.4/10(404 votes)

    S16:E9

    The deaths of three women with the same name lead Fontana and Green to the nine-year-old conviction of Leland Barnes, who had shot and killed his wife in an office full of people. With two of the three witnesses against him dead and Jack McCoy on the hit list, the detectives struggle to determine how Barnes, who has been in prison the entire time, got someone on the outside to kill the only people who could keep him in jail. The investigation leads them to Leland's two sons, with surprising results.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
    Writer:David Wilcox

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  20. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 9 - For the Defense
    8.4/10(403 votes)

    S20:E9

    A case that begins as a search for a missing witness spirals into a murder conspiracy with ADA Connie Rubirosa caught in the middle.

    Director:William Klayer
    Writers:Ed Zuckerman, Luke Schelhaas

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  21. Law & Order Season 19 Episode 9 - By Perjury
    8.4/10(375 votes)

    S19:E9

    The murder of the plaintiff in a high-profile lawsuit against a major airline leads detectives to a defense attorney (Dallas Roberts) who is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure his big payday.

    Director:Darnell Martin
    Writers:Richard Sweren, Christopher Ambrose

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  22. Law & Order Season 10 Episode 2 - Killerz
    8.3/10(579 votes)

    S10:E2

    Briscoe and Green believe a 10-year-old is responsible for a child's death, and McCoy wants her isolated to stop any future fatalities.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writer:Richard Sweren

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  23. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 6 - Helpless
    8.3/10(511 votes)

    S3:E6

    Dr. Olivet accuses her gynecologist of rape, but Stone finds his case in trouble when he discovers that Olivet tape-recorded the crime.

    Director:James Frawley
    Writers:Christine Roum, Michael S. Chernuchin

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  24. Law & Order Season 10 Episode 15 - Fools for Love
    8.3/10(503 votes)

    S10:E15

    After the bodies of two teens are found, the detectives trace their identities and learn that one of them had a sister who was traveling with the girls.

    Director:Christopher Misiano
    Writers:Kathy McCormick, Lynne E. Litt

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  25. Law & Order Season 7 Episode 23 - Terminal
    8.3/10(440 votes)

    S7:E23

    The cops uncover a man with a secret second life as they try to learn who opened fire on a group of people disembarking from a party cruise, but his guilt or innocence becomes almost a second thought as Schiff goes toe to toe with the governor and the States Attorney General over the decision to seek the death penalty.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writers:René Balcer, Ed Zuckerman

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Best Episodes Summary

"Aftershock" is the best rated episode of Law & Order. It scored 9.1/10 from 1,106 votes. Directed by Martha Mitchell and written by Unknown, it aired on May 22, 1996. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "Pro Se".

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