Law & Order backdrop
Crime•Drama

The Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 20

Every episode of Law & Order Season 20 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 20!

Binge this in 17h 15m•Peaking at 7.8/10

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

Airs on
NBC
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons25

All12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Law & Order Season 20 Episode 1 - Memo from the Dark Side
    6.4/10(5 votes)

    #1 - Memo from the Dark Side

    S20:E1

    The body of a young war veteran is found in a parking garage and the murder is connected to a law professor who used to work for the Department of Justice.

    Director:Fred Berner
    Writers:Dick Wolf, René Balcer, Keith Eisner

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 2 - Just a Girl in the World
    7.2/10(6 votes)

    #2 - Just a Girl in the World

    S20:E2

    A crime scene investigator is murdered in her apartment. Her fiance is suspected, but then a journalist is attacked and DNA is found at the scene that links this crime to the murder.

    Director:Marisol Adler
    Writers:Dick Wolf, René Balcer, Richard Sweren, Christopher Ambrose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 3 - Great Satan
    6.8/10(6 votes)

    #3 - Great Satan

    S20:E3

    Detectives Lupo and Bernard investigate when an aspiring musician is found dead. A bag of cash leads them to multiple suspects.

    Director:Michael Dinner
    Writers:Ed Zuckerman, Luke Schelhaas

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 4 - Reality Bites
    6.0/10(4 votes)

    #4 - Reality Bites

    S20:E4

    A mother of ten adopted special needs children is murdered. The day after her murder, her husband appears on reality TV.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writers:Ed Zuckerman, Luke Schelhaas

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 5 - Dignity
    6.2/10(4 votes)

    #5 - Dignity

    S20:E5

    A doctor who performs late-term abortions is murdered in church. The case falls apart for Cutter when Rubirosa is touched by an abortion nurse's testimony.

    Director:Jim McKay
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Julie Martin, René Balcer, Richard Sweren

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 6 - Human Flesh Search Engine
    7.0/10(6 votes)

    #6 - Human Flesh Search Engine

    S20:E6

    Bernard becomes the target of a dangerous website that is partly responsible for a homicide the detectives are investigating

    Director:Darnell Martin
    Writers:Ed Zuckerman, Matthew McGough

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Law & Order

    READ
  7. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 7 - Boy Gone Astray
    6.0/10(6 votes)

    #7 - Boy Gone Astray

    S20:E7

    When a young woman is found dead in her apartment, a few tell-tale signs quickly lead Detectives Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard to believe that the killer was not after her wealth.

    Director:Rose Troche
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 8 - Doped
    6.9/10(7 votes)

    #8 - Doped

    S20:E8

    A deadly drunk-driving car accident brings Detectives Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard to the scene when a suspicious nasal spray is found. After the medical examiner realizes the nasal spray is a powerful anesthetic that could easily disorient its user, the detectives become suspicious of the victim's boss, Zach Marshall

    Director:Mario Van Peebles
    Writers:Richard Sweren, Christopher Ambrose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 9 - For the Defense
    5.5/10(6 votes)

    #9 - 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:William Klayer
    Writers:Ed Zuckerman, Luke Schelhaas

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 10 - Shotgun
    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #10 - Shotgun

    S20:E10

    When an elderly man defends his shop from an armed robbery, Detectives Kevin Bernard and Cyrus Lupo suspect that this incident could have been an inside job. After further investigation, the detectives discover that the mugging might have been a scare tactic for a shakedown.

    Director:Roger Young
    Writers:Julie Martin, Richard Sweren

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 11 - Fed
    7.2/10(4 votes)

    #11 - Fed

    S20:E11

    After a community activist is murdered and labeled "FED", Detectives Bernard and Lupo find it difficult to eliminate multiple suspects. Also, Lieutenant Van Buren hears from Detective Rey Curtis.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 12 - Blackmail
    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #12 - Blackmail

    S20:E12

    Blackmail is the twelfth episode of the twentieth season of the television series Law & Order. It aired on NBC January 15, 2010.

    Director:Marc Levin
    Writers:Ed Zuckerman, Matthew McGough

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 13 - Steel-Eyed Death
    6.8/10(5 votes)

    #13 - Steel-Eyed Death

    S20:E13

    When a family of four is found murdered in their home, Detectives Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard discover that the deaths may be related to the deceased teenage daughter's troubled friend, Bonnie.

    Director:Michael Pressman
    Writers:Julie Martin, Richard Sweren, Christopher Ambrose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 14 - Boy on Fire
    6.8/10(4 votes)

    #14 - Boy on Fire

    S20:E14

    When detectives Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard come upon the burning body of Cesar, a sixteen-year-old charter school student from a bad neighborhood, they begin to question his young mentee Moses, who was the last person to see him alive.

    Director:Rose Troche
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 15 - Brilliant Disguise
    7.5/10(6 votes)

    #15 - Brilliant Disguise

    S20:E15

    A young woman is found murdered in a hotel and the evidence leads to a medical student.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 16 - Innocence
    7.8/10(5 votes)

    #16 - Innocence

    S20:E16

    A man is convicted of a hate crime for allegedly killing a gay man, but a group called the Innocence Coalition is determined to clear his name.

    Director:Fred Berner
    Writers:Julie Martin, Richard Sweren

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 17 - Four Cops Shot
    7.6/10(5 votes)

    #17 - Four Cops Shot

    S20:E17

    The debate rages over how to treat an informant who shot and killed four police officers. However, did one of the officers try to put undue pressure on him to help catch a dangerous criminal?

    Director:Jim McKay
    Writers:Ed Zuckerman, Matthew McGough, Luke Schelhaas

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 18 - Brazil
    7.0/10(4 votes)

    #18 - Brazil

    S20:E18

    When an environmental scientist, Dr. Oscar Silva, is poisoned during a global warming symposium, Detectives Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard initially suspect competitors from Dr. Silva's field of study. It is soon discovered that Dr. Silva is involved in a messy custody battle with his wife's ex-husband, Phillip Shoemaker and the focus of the investigation quickly shifts to the victim's family. Meanwhile, the case becomes personal for Cutter as it stirs up unpleasant memories from his own past.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 19 - Crashers
    5.1/10(7 votes)

    #19 - Crashers

    S20:E19

    When the body of a model is found burning in an alley, Detectives Lupo and Bernard search for her killer.

    Director:Darnell Martin
    Writers:Julie Martin, Richard Sweren, Christopher Ambrose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 20 - The Taxman Cometh
    7.8/10(5 votes)

    #20 - The Taxman Cometh

    S20:E20

    Lupo and Bernard uncover a possible conspiracy to kill off wealthy cancer patients, so their inheritors don't have to pay an estate tax. However, legal roadblocks make the case difficult to prosecute.

    Director:Fred Berner
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 21 - Immortal
    7.7/10(6 votes)

    #21 - Immortal

    S20:E21

    A man's double life is discovered after he is stabbed to death.

    Director:Jim McKay
    Writers:Julie Martin, Richard Sweren

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 22 - Love Eternal
    7.7/10(6 votes)

    #22 - Love Eternal

    S20:E22

    When a reality TV crew finds a dead man's body locked in a dog cage, detectives suspect the victim's wife.

    Director:William Klayer
    Writer:Ed Zuckerman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Law & Order Season 20 Episode 23 - Rubber Room
    7.6/10(8 votes)

    #23 - 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:René Balcer

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 20 Ratings Summary

"Memo from the Dark Side" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order" season 20. It scored 6.4/10 based on 5 votes. Directed by Fred Berner and written by Dick Wolf, René Balcer, Keith Eisner, it aired on 9/25/2009. This episode is rated 0.8 points higher than the second-best, "Just a Girl in the World".