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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 6 Episode 23 - Aftershock
    9.1/10(1028 votes)

    #1 - Aftershock

    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(629 votes)

    #2 - 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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  3. Law & Order Season 16 Episode 22 - Invaders
    8.8/10(528 votes)

    #3 - 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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  4. Law & Order Season 13 Episode 23 - Couples
    8.7/10(503 votes)

    #4 - 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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  5. Law & Order Season 14 Episode 1 - Bodies
    8.6/10(545 votes)

    #5 - 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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  6. Law & Order Season 14 Episode 6 - Identity
    8.6/10(472 votes)

    #6 - 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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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Law & Order

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  7. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 23 - Rubber Room
    8.6/10(496 votes)

    #7 - 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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  8. Law & Order Season 1 Episode 9 - Indifference
    8.5/10(660 votes)

    #8 - 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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  9. Law & Order Season 9 Episode 24 - Refuge (2)
    8.5/10(437 votes)

    #9 - 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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  10. Law & Order Season 23 Episode 5 - Last Dance
    8.5/10(331 votes)

    #10 - 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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  11. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 8 - Prince of Darkness
    8.4/10(471 votes)

    #11 - 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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  12. Law & Order Season 4 Episode 8 - American Dream
    8.4/10(411 votes)

    #12 - 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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  13. Law & Order Season 4 Episode 22 - Old Friends
    8.4/10(424 votes)

    #13 - 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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  14. Law & Order Season 7 Episode 17 - Showtime
    8.4/10(413 votes)

    #14 - Showtime

    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, Ed Zuckerman, Gardner Stern

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  15. Law & Order Season 9 Episode 23 - Refuge (1)
    8.4/10(431 votes)

    #15 - 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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  16. Law & Order Season 14 Episode 24 - C.O.D.
    8.4/10(416 votes)

    #16 - 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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  17. Law & Order Season 16 Episode 1 - Red Ball
    8.4/10(379 votes)

    #17 - 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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  18. Law & Order Season 16 Episode 9 - Criminal Law
    8.4/10(368 votes)

    #18 - 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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  19. Law & Order Season 18 Episode 14 - Burn Card
    8.4/10(399 votes)

    #19 - 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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  20. Law & Order Season 19 Episode 9 - By Perjury
    8.4/10(349 votes)

    #20 - 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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  21. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 9 - For the Defense
    8.4/10(370 votes)

    #21 - 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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  22. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 6 - Helpless
    8.3/10(467 votes)

    #22 - 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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  23. Law & Order Season 7 Episode 5 - Corruption
    8.3/10(428 votes)

    #23 - Corruption

    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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  24. Law & Order Season 7 Episode 19 - Double Down
    8.3/10(390 votes)

    #24 - Double Down

    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.

    Director:Arthur W. Forney
    Writer:Shimon Wincelberg

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  25. Law & Order Season 7 Episode 23 - Terminal
    8.3/10(401 votes)

    #25 - Terminal

    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
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Aftershock" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order". It scored 9.1/10 based on 1028 votes. Directed by Martha Mitchell and written by Unknown, it aired on 5/22/1996. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "Pro Se".