The Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 15

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   6.9/10(358 votes)

   #1 - Paradigm

   S15:E19/22/2004

   An Iraqi immigrant who murders a former military policewoman in retaliation for torturing her brother at Abu Ghraib prison claims that she is covered as an enemy combatant under the terms of the Geneva Convention.

   Directors:Dick Wolf, Matthew Penn

   Writer:Unknown

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   Directors:Dick Wolf, Matthew Penn

   Writer:Unknown
2. 

   7.3/10(379 votes)

   #2 - The Dead Wives Club

   S15:E29/22/2004

   When a woman abandoned by her firefighter husband for his partner's widow is threatened with also losing custody of her children, she murders her romantic rival, claiming that 9/11 post-traumatic stress syndrome prompted her actions.

   Director:David Platt

   Writer:Nick Santora

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   Director:David Platt

   Writer:Nick Santora
3. 

   7.8/10(366 votes)

   #3 - The Brotherhood

   S15:E39/29/2004

   When a prison gang puts out a contract on a Sing Sing corrections officer and his family, assigning the job to a newly released ex-con, the terrified officer pleads preemptive self-defense after he's brought to trial for the parolee's murder. As the trial proceeds, the gang attempts to affect the outcome of the case by sending a death threat to the presiding judge, who refuses to be intimidated. Shortly after the conclusion of the trial, McCoy discovers that the defendant's fears about the power and the reach of the gang were well-placed.

   Director:Jean de Segonzac

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Jean de Segonzac

   Writer:Unknown
4. 

   7.1/10(328 votes)

   #4 - Coming Down Hard

   S15:E410/6/2004

   McCoy goes after the C.E.O. of a pharmaceutical company who knowingly commissioned further clinical trials on a drug to extend its patent protection yielding millions of dollars of profit without disclosing that previous clinical studies had demonstrated that the drug created a high risk of suicide in its users.

   Director:Richard Dobbs

   Writer:Davey Holmes

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   Director:Richard Dobbs

   Writer:Davey Holmes
5. 

   7.6/10(339 votes)

   #5 - Gunplay

   S15:E510/20/2004

   After Green goes undercover to gather evidence on the gun dealers who murdered two detectives during a buy-and-bust, McCoy is able to connect the hit men to the attorney who paid them to avenge the death of his gun-running stepson at the hands of the same detectives during a similar buy-and-bust several years earlier.

   Director:Constantine Makris

   Writers:William N. Fordes, Elle Johnson

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   Director:Constantine Makris

   Writers:William N. Fordes, Elle Johnson
6. 

   7.0/10(315 votes)

   #6 - Cut

   S15:E610/27/2004

   When a plastic surgeon's greed and narcissism contribute to his failure to care for a patient that ultimately results in her death, Branch insists that McCoy prosecute him for criminally negligent homicide, rather than leave the matter to the civil courts, after an investigation reveals a several instances of the doctor's inattention to patient care.

   Director:Richard Dobbs

   Writer:Wendy Battles

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   Director:Richard Dobbs

   Writer:Wendy Battles
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7. 

   7.3/10(321 votes)

   #7 - Gov Love

   S15:E711/10/2004

   The investigation into the death of a governor's wife uncovers a web of infidelity, greed, and corruption which forces McCoy to counter a defense based on a ground-breaking interpretation of spousal privilege.

   Director:Michael Pressman

   Writers:Richard Sweren, Ross Berger

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   Director:Michael Pressman

   Writers:Richard Sweren, Ross Berger
8. 

   6.6/10(318 votes)

   #8 - Cry Wolf

   S15:E811/17/2004

   The detectives are skeptical when a former street activist turned shock jock with a history of staging phony muggings to gain publicity for his causes appears to be the subject of an attempt on his life after publicly assailing a mobster, but they begin to believe his story after they discover that the married jock was involved with the mobster's mistress.

   Director:Don Scardino

   Writers:Nick Santora, Lorenzo Carcaterra

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   Director:Don Scardino

   Writers:Nick Santora, Lorenzo Carcaterra
9. 

   6.6/10(315 votes)

   #9 - All in the Family

   S15:E911/24/2004

   When the investigation into the contract killing of a jeweler uncovers his plan to roll over on his Russian mob connections to a federal prosecutor, as well as an unhappy wife whom he refused to divorce, McCoy must determine who financed the hit.

   Director:Jace Alexander

   Writer:William N. Fordes

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   Director:Jace Alexander

   Writer:William N. Fordes
10. 

    6.7/10(308 votes)

    #10 - Enemy

    S15:E1012/1/2004

    The prosecution of a drug trafficker responsible for a stash house massacre is hampered when McCoy discovers that the defendant claims diplomatic immunity, and has been working as an undercover operative aiding the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

    Director:Richard Dobbs

    Writer:Alfredo Barrios Jr.

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    Director:Richard Dobbs

    Writer:Alfredo Barrios Jr.
11. 

    6.9/10(329 votes)

    #11 - Fixed

    S15:E1112/8/2004

    When a paroled child murderer is run down, the investigation leads to a terrified social worker and an experimental prison therapy program.

    Director:Edwin Sherin

    Writers:Eric Overmyer, Roz Weinman

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    Director:Edwin Sherin

    Writers:Eric Overmyer, Roz Weinman
12. 

    7.3/10(302 votes)

    #12 - Mammon

    S15:E121/5/2005

    The investigation into the murder of a wealthy husband leads to the uncovering of a conspiracy involving infidelity and greed and leads to one defendant attempting to evade justice by killing the other.

    Director:Jace Alexander

    Writers:William N. Fordes, Douglas Stark

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    Director:Jace Alexander

    Writers:William N. Fordes, Douglas Stark
13. 

    7.5/10(372 votes)

    #13 - Ain't No Love

    S15:E131/12/2005

    When a rap producer is found shot to death in his studio, detectives focus on his protege, whose demos link him and a friend to a second murder. As the investigation unfolds, Southerlyn's opinions put her sharply at odds with both McCoy and Branch.

    Director:Paris Barclay

    Writers:Richard Sweren, Elle Johnson

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    Director:Paris Barclay

    Writers:Richard Sweren, Elle Johnson
14. 

    7.9/10(347 votes)

    #14 - Fluency

    S15:E141/19/2005

    Fontana and Green are baffled by a series of flu-related deaths until they discover that the victims were given fake vaccine. McCoy goes after the con man who distributed the vaccine for murder.

    Director:Matthew Penn

    Writer:Nick Santora

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    Director:Matthew Penn

    Writer:Nick Santora
15. 

    7.3/10(325 votes)

    #15 - Obsession

    S15:E152/9/2005

    A conservative talk show host involved in a sexual harassment scandal is murdered, but the trail leads to the victim's wife and an obsessed stalker.

    Director:Constantine Makris

    Writers:Wendy Battles, Alfredo Barrios Jr.

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    Director:Constantine Makris

    Writers:Wendy Battles, Alfredo Barrios Jr.
16. 

    6.8/10(317 votes)

    #16 - The Sixth Man

    S15:E162/16/2005

    McCoy prosecutes a famous basketball star accused of murdering a man who was suing him because of a massive brawl between players and fans.

    Director:David Platt

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:David Platt

    Writer:Unknown
17. 

    7.7/10(326 votes)

    #17 - License to Kill

    S15:E172/23/2005

    The investigation into a fatal traffic accident leads Fontana and Green to a slaughtered hunting party in the woods and an unknown man who may have been pursuing vigilante justice.

    Director:Constantine Makris

    Writers:Richard Sweren, Stuart Feldman

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    Director:Constantine Makris

    Writers:Richard Sweren, Stuart Feldman
18. 

    7.1/10(319 votes)

    #18 - Dining Out

    S15:E183/2/2005

    When a TV network executive is found murdered, Detectives Fontana and Green suspect a pair of twins who were stealing from the organization until they discover a celebrity chef with whom the married victim shared an affair. The nimble and charming chef is adroit at cultivating relationships with judges and juries alike, but prosecutor McCoy intends to reveal that the suspect's cooking show was about to be cancelled by his late lover.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac

    Writer:Davey Holmes

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    Director:Jean de Segonzac

    Writer:Davey Holmes
19. 

    7.4/10(334 votes)

    #19 - Sects

    S15:E193/30/2005

    Police and prosecutors go after a fanatical cult leader who encourages sex with children among her followers.

    Director:Richard Dobbs

    Writer:Frank Pugliese

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    Director:Richard Dobbs

    Writer:Frank Pugliese
20. 

    7.8/10(357 votes)

    #20 - Tombstone (I)

    S15:E204/13/2005

    The bludgeoned corpse of a promiscuous lawyer is found in her office and detectives treat her former lovers as suspects until DNA evidence points to a co-worker. This crossover continues on Law & Order: Trial By Jury S01E08 Skeleton (II).

    Director:Eric Stoltz

    Writer:Rick Eid

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    Director:Eric Stoltz

    Writer:Rick Eid
21. 

    7.4/10(331 votes)

    #21 - Publish and Perish

    S15:E214/20/2005

    Fontana and his temporary partner, Det. Nick Falco, must tread lightly when they discover links between a powerful police commissioner and the murders of an infamous porn actress and a maverick publisher.

    Director:Constantine Makris

    Writer:Tom Szentgyorgyi

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    Director:Constantine Makris

    Writer:Tom Szentgyorgyi
22. 

    7.2/10(308 votes)

    #22 - Sport of Kings

    S15:E225/4/2005

    The shooting of a Panamanian jockey sends Fontana and Falco into the colorful world of horse racing, and they learn that the animal's owner used stolen funds for the purchase.

    Director:Michael Pressman

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Michael Pressman

    Writer:Unknown
23. 

    7.3/10(314 votes)

    #23 - In God We Trust

    S15:E235/11/2005

    When Fontana and Falco investigate an arson which caused the death of a firefighter, they discover a murder weapon tied to a nine year old murder and a hate crime in which the defendent attempts to have his case dismissed because he became a born again Christian after committing the murder.

    Director:David Platt

    Writers:Dick Wolf, Richard Sweren

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    Director:David Platt

    Writers:Dick Wolf, Richard Sweren
24. 

    7.0/10(310 votes)

    #24 - Locomotion

    S15:E245/18/2005

    After a man causes a massive train crash that results in multiple deaths, McCoy tries to prosecute him for murder despite his insanity defense. But McCoy finds himself hampered by a defense attorney whose own agenda may undercut that of his client.

    Director:Matthew Penn

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Matthew Penn

    Writer:Unknown