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The Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 3

Every episode of Law & Order Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 3!

Binge this in 17h 16m•Peaking at 8.4/10

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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Law & Order Season 3 Episode 8 - Prince of Darkness
    8.4/10(505 votes)

    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
    Writers:Robert Nathan, William N. Fordes

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  2. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 6 - Helpless
    8.3/10(509 votes)

    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
    Writers:Christine Roum, Michael S. Chernuchin

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  3. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 21 - Manhood
    8.1/10(460 votes)

    S3:E21

    The statement of a drug dealer who survived a shoot-out that killed a cop leads Logan and Briscoe to suspect that the cop died because he was gay and his fellow officers were reluctant to back him up.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 9 - Point of View
    7.9/10(491 votes)

    S3:E9

    Logan gets a new partner and Stone faces an old friend from law school as they investigate a woman's claim of self-defense in the shooting death of a small time hood.

    Director:Gilbert Moses
    Writers:Walon Green, René Balcer

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  5. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 16 - Jurisdiction
    7.8/10(394 votes)

    S3:E16

    Stone battles the Brooklyn DA's office over prosecutorial jurisdiction in the case of a mentally handicapped man who confesses to the stabbing deaths of two women.

    Director:Bruce Seth Green
    Writers:Walon Green, René Balcer

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  6. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 17 - Conduct Unbecoming
    7.8/10(429 votes)

    S3:E17

    Stone and the police battle the closed ranks of the Navy to investigate the death of a female Naval officer during a party in a Manhattan hotel.

    Director:Arthur W. Forney
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 18 - Animal Instinct
    7.8/10(417 votes)

    S3:E18

    The initial investigation into the death of a research scientist leads to an animal-rights group until evidence surfaces that her husband's affair with a coworker may point to a possible motive for the murder.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
    Writers:Sibyl Gardner, Michael S. Chernuchin

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  8. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 4 - The Corporate Veil
    7.7/10(415 votes)

    S3:E4

    A teenager's fatal heart attack is traced to fraud and greed on the part of the manufacturer of his pacemaker and their supplier.

    Director:Don Scardino
    Writers:Michael S. Chernuchin, Joe Morgenstern

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  9. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 5 - Wedded Bliss
    7.7/10(409 votes)

    S3:E5

    The discovery of a young woman's body in the river leads to an investigation of illegal sweatshops and the enslavement of young immigrants.

    Director:Vern Gillum
    Writers:Robert Nathan, Edward Pomerantz

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  10. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 7 - Self Defense
    7.7/10(416 votes)

    S3:E7

    Cerreta and Stone find themselves on opposite sides of the fence when a storeowner kills two robbers and then claims self-defense as a justification.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
    Writers:Hall Powell, René Balcer

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  11. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 10 - Consultation
    7.7/10(424 votes)

    S3:E10

    An engineer and a tribal chief become the chief suspects in the death of a Nigerian woman who died while smuggling heroin internally.

    Director:James Hayman
    Writers:Joe Reinkemeyer, Matt Kiene

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  12. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 13 - Night and Fog
    7.7/10(425 votes)

    S3:E13

    The confession of an elderly man that he assisted his wife in committing suicide doesn't fully satisfy Stone when rumors surface that the man was once a Nazi collaborator.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
    Writers:René Balcer, Michael S. Chernuchin

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  13. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 15 - Mother Love
    7.7/10(430 votes)

    S3:E15

    The absence of a murder weapon complicates the investigation into the murder of a drug addict who stole from her family to support her habit.

    Director:Daniel Sackheim
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 1 - Skin Deep
    7.6/10(489 votes)

    S3:E1

    When a sleazy photographer is murdered, his models appear to be the most likely suspects.

    Director:Daniel Sackheim
    Writers:Robert Nathan, Gordon Rayfield

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  15. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 11 - Extended Family
    7.6/10(421 votes)

    S3:E11

    The apparent abduction of a little girl by her natural mother becomes complicated by charges of sexual molestation.

    Director:Charles Correll
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 12 - Right to Counsel
    7.6/10(402 votes)

    S3:E12

    After Stone accepts a plea bargain from the much younger and poorer lover of a wealthy older woman found murdered in her apartment, he begins to have doubts that he has sent the right man to prison, especially as he learns more about the attorney who handled the woman's estate.

    Director:James Frawley
    Writers:Michael S. Chernuchin, Barry M. Schkolnick

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  17. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 14 - Promises to Keep
    7.5/10(425 votes)

    S3:E14

    The investigation into the murder of a young physician leads to the discovery of an unorthodox and illegal relationship between her fiance and his psychiatrist.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 2 - Conspiracy
    7.4/10(410 votes)

    S3:E2

    The assassination of an African-American leader leads to the arrest of a man whose ex-wife was suspected of having an affair with the victim.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
    Writers:René Balcer, Michael S. Chernuchin

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  19. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 19 - Virus
    7.4/10(403 votes)

    S3:E19

    While investigating several deaths at a diabetes clinic, Briscoe and Logan discover that teenage computer hackers may have tampered with the clinic's medical database.

    Director:Steven Robman
    Writers:René Balcer, Michael S. Chernuchin

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  20. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 3 - Forgiveness
    7.3/10(406 votes)

    S3:E3

    A priest-turned-lawyer uses race and class as the basis for his defense of a young Mexican man who murdered his wealthy girlfriend after she broke up with him.

    Director:Bill D'Elia
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 22 - Benevolence
    7.3/10(393 votes)

    S3:E22

    Logan and Briscoe begin their investigation into the death of a hearing-impaired young woman by questioning her two most recent boyfriends.

    Director:Edwin Sherin
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Law & Order Season 3 Episode 20 - Securitate
    7.1/10(373 votes)

    S3:E20

    When a Romanian immigrant kills, his lawyer announces he will plead his client "not guilty due to cultural insanity" claiming the man had been conditioned to violence in his homeland.

    Director:James Hayman
    Writers:Joe Reinkemeyer, Matt Kiene

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Season 3 Ratings Summary

"Prince of Darkness" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order" season 3. It scored 8.4/10 based on 505 votes. Directed by Gilbert M. Shilton and written by Robert Nathan, William N. Fordes, it aired on 11/18/1992. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Helpless".