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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!

The Best Episodes of Law & Order

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...

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  1. 9.1/10(931 votes)

    #1 - Aftershock

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
  2. 8.8/10(578 votes)

    #2 - Pro Se

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    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.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  3. 8.8/10(487 votes)

    #3 - Invaders

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    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.

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    Director:Matthew Penn
    Writer:N/A
  4. 8.7/10(471 votes)

    #4 - Couples

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    S13:E23

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

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    Director:David Platt
    Writer:N/A
  5. 8.6/10(498 votes)

    #5 - Bodies

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
  6. 8.6/10(429 votes)

    #6 - Identity

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Law & Order

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  8. 8.5/10(404 votes)

    #7 - Refuge (2)

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
  9. 8.4/10(593 votes)

    #8 - Indifference

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    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.

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    Director:N/A
  10. 8.4/10(374 votes)

    #9 - American Dream

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
  11. 8.4/10(397 votes)

    #10 - Refuge (1)

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
  12. 8.4/10(383 votes)

    #11 - C.O.D.

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    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.

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  13. 8.4/10(345 votes)

    #12 - Red Ball

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    S16:E1

    A young girl is abducted in broad daylight, and the only link to the girl is an ex-convict who wants a deal before he's willing to talk.

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  14. 8.4/10(337 votes)

    #13 - Criminal Law

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    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.

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    Director:Edwin Sherin
  15. 8.4/10(321 votes)

    #14 - By Perjury

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
  16. 8.4/10(304 votes)

    #15 - Last Dance

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    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.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  17. 8.3/10(420 votes)

    #16 - Helpless

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    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.

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  18. 8.3/10(426 votes)

    #17 - Prince of Darkness

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
  19. 8.3/10(390 votes)

    #18 - Old Friends

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    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.

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  20. 8.3/10(401 votes)

    #19 - Corruption

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    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.

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    Director:Matthew Penn
    Writer:N/A
  21. 8.3/10(384 votes)

    #20 - Showtime

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    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.

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  22. 8.3/10(362 votes)

    #21 - Double Down

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    S7:E19

    The cops' best hope of finding a kidnapped hired car driver alive is one of the armed robbers who grabbed him after a job, but the immunity deal he demands in return would effectively preclude his prosecution for the shooting death of an off-duty cop, placing McCoy in a difficult position as he seeks to placate the cops, who want the guy prosecuted, and the kidnapped man's wife, who wants every avenue of saving her husband explored.

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  23. 8.3/10(371 votes)

    #22 - Terminal

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
  24. 8.3/10(489 votes)

    #23 - Killerz

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    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.

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    Writer:N/A
  25. 8.3/10(328 votes)

    #24 - Acid

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    S16:E10

    After the daughter of one of Van Buren's college friends is found dead in her room, a suicide, Van Buren joins Green and Fontana in hunting down the man who burned her face with acid months earlier, ultimately leading to her suicide. Van Buren is unsucces

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    Writer:N/A
  26. 8.3/10(374 votes)

    #25 - Burn Card

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    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.

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Best Episodes Summary

"Aftershock" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order". It scored 9.1/10 based on 931 votes. Directed by Martha Mitchell and written by N/A, it aired on 5/22/1996. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "Pro Se".