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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!

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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 custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Law & Order Season 16 Episode 22 - Invaders
    8.8/10(530 votes)

    #1 - Invaders

    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
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 23 - Rubber Room
    8.7/10(499 votes)

    #2 - Rubber Room

    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:Unknown

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  3. Law & Order Season 13 Episode 23 - Couples
    8.6/10(8 votes)

    #3 - Couples

    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:Unknown

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  4. Law & Order Season 14 Episode 1 - Bodies
    8.6/10(551 votes)

    #4 - Bodies

    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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  5. Law & Order Season 14 Episode 6 - Identity
    8.6/10(479 votes)

    #5 - Identity

    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:Unknown

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  6. Law & Order Season 1 Episode 9 - Indifference
    8.5/10(663 votes)

    #6 - 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
    Writer:Robert Palm

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Law & Order

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  7. Law & Order Season 6 Episode 21 - Pro Se
    8.5/10(6 votes)

    #7 - Pro Se

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Law & Order Season 9 Episode 24 - Refuge (2)
    8.5/10(440 votes)

    #8 - Refuge (2)

    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:Unknown

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  9. Law & Order Season 23 Episode 5 - Last Dance
    8.5/10(335 votes)

    #9 - Last Dance

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 8 - Prince of Darkness
    8.4/10(473 votes)

    #10 - Prince of Darkness

    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
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Law & Order Season 4 Episode 8 - American Dream
    8.4/10(414 votes)

    #11 - American Dream

    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:Unknown

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  12. Law & Order Season 4 Episode 22 - Old Friends
    8.4/10(426 votes)

    #12 - Old Friends

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Law & Order Season 6 Episode 12 - Trophy
    8.4/10(7 votes)

    #13 - Trophy

    S6:E12

    McCoy finds that his career is on the line when his former female assistant and ex lover accuses him of forging evidence that helped put an innocent man in prison.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Law & Order Season 9 Episode 23 - Refuge (1)
    8.4/10(436 votes)

    #14 - Refuge (1)

    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:Unknown

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  15. Law & Order Season 16 Episode 1 - Red Ball
    8.4/10(381 votes)

    #15 - Red Ball

    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.

    Director:Matthew Penn
    Writers:Dick Wolf, David Wilcox

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  16. Law & Order Season 16 Episode 9 - Criminal Law
    8.4/10(369 votes)

    #16 - Criminal Law

    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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  17. Law & Order Season 18 Episode 14 - Burn Card
    8.4/10(403 votes)

    #17 - Burn Card

    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:Dick Wolf, David Wilcox, René Balcer

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  18. Law & Order Season 19 Episode 9 - By Perjury
    8.4/10(351 votes)

    #18 - By Perjury

    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
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 9 - For the Defense
    8.4/10(376 votes)

    #19 - For the Defense

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 6 - Helpless
    8.3/10(470 votes)

    #20 - Helpless

    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
    Writer:Christine Roum

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  21. Law & Order Season 10 Episode 2 - Killerz
    8.3/10(540 votes)

    #21 - Killerz

    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:Unknown

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  22. Law & Order Season 10 Episode 15 - Fools For Love
    8.3/10(466 votes)

    #22 - Fools For Love

    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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  23. Law & Order Season 13 Episode 5 - The Ring
    8.3/10(7 votes)

    #23 - The Ring

    S13:E5

    The discovery of a body in Hells Kitchen who had been wearing a $40,000 diamond ring leads the detectives back to the World Trade Center attacks as the victim had been reported to have died when Tower One collapsed. The ensuing investigation leads to a fiancee and a lover and the determination that the events of 9/11 may have been good timing to hide the fact that she was murdered the night before.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Law & Order Season 14 Episode 24 - C.O.D.
    8.3/10(420 votes)

    #24 - C.O.D.

    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
    Writer:Marc Guggenheim

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  25. Law & Order Season 16 Episode 10 - Acid
    8.3/10(358 votes)

    #25 - Acid

    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

    Director:Michael Pressman
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Invaders" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order". It scored 8.8/10 based on 530 votes. Directed by Matthew Penn and written by Unknown, it aired on 5/17/2006. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Rubber Room".