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The Worst Episodes of Law & Order

Every episode of Law & Order ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Law & Order!

The Worst Episodes of Law & Order

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...
  1. Background image for Free Speech
    6.1/10(498 votes)

    #1 - Free Speech

    S21:E5

    Bernard and Cosgrove investigate the murder of a congressional candidate. ADAs Price and Maroun contend with an extremist plot hellbent on thwarting the candidate's agenda by any means necessary.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for Black and Blue
    6.3/10(332 votes)

    #2 - Black and Blue

    S21:E10

    The murder of an off-duty NYPD detective threatens to tear the city apart; Cosgrove mourns the loss of a friend and asks Capt. Benson for help solving the case; McCoy and Price disagree on how to prosecute the culprit.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for Folk Hero
    6.3/10(343 votes)

    #3 - Folk Hero

    S24:E16

    When a murder suspect becomes an underground hero, Brady seeks help from a former colleague to track down a culprit who seems to be in multiple locations. Baxter, Price and Maroun disagree on the best way forward when public interest heightens.

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  4. Background image for Impossible Dream
    6.5/10(514 votes)

    #4 - Impossible Dream

    S21:E2

    The COO of a major tech company is found murdered in Central Park. Price and Maroun work to untangle a web of deceit to expose a cunning narcissist.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for The Right Thing
    6.6/10(1.0k votes)

    #5 - The Right Thing

    S21:E1

    Newly acquainted partners Bernard and Cosgrove investigate the murder of a notorious entertainer. A dispute over throwing out a confession creates a rift in the DA's office.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for Legacy
    6.6/10(353 votes)

    #6 - Legacy

    S21:E7

    Bernard and Cosgrove are confronted with several suspects in the shooting of a headmaster at an elite private school. A teenager's life hangs in the balance as Price and Maroun debate who's more culpable - the shooter or the enabler.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  8. Background image for Freedom of Expression
    6.7/10(411 votes)

    #7 - Freedom of Expression

    S23:E1

    In the wake of a murder on campus, the line between free speech and hate speech at a university is examined.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Inherent Bias
    6.7/10(186 votes)

    #8 - Inherent Bias

    S24:E18

    A rising basketball star is shot dead, leaving the squad in a desperate scramble for leads. When the capture of a suspect doesn't go as planned, Shaw and Riley each take a firm stand on what they believe they witnessed.

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  10. Background image for The Great Pretender
    6.8/10(291 votes)

    #9 - The Great Pretender

    S21:E9

    Bernard and Cosgrove must sift through fact and fiction to find the killer of a young Manhattan socialite. The murder trial takes a turn that becomes personal for Price and puts Maroun in a compromising situation.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Private Lives
    6.8/10(268 votes)

    #10 - Private Lives

    S22:E19

    Cosgrove and Shaw investigate the murder of a family physician whose outspoken politician wife suspects she was the intended target. Price and Maroun's case hangs in the balance when the defense calls one of the doctor's young patients to testify as a witness.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for A Perfect Family
    6.8/10(181 votes)

    #11 - A Perfect Family

    S24:E17

    When a student is thrown to her death, Riley zeros in on a family secret to piece together her last moments. Price and Maroun must rely on the eyewitness account of a young child to determine if an unlikely suspect should be charged with murder.

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  13. Background image for The Fire This Time
    6.9/10(266 votes)

    #12 - The Fire This Time

    S12:E8

    When a building is set ablaze, a girl must be identified despite her fatal burns. Through further investigation, it turns out that an extreme environmentalist group struck the match...

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    Director:David Platt
  14. Background image for Severance
    6.9/10(279 votes)

    #13 - Severance

    S21:E8

    When the CFO of a Fortune 500 company is found strangled in her home, Bernard and Cosgrove work to connect multiple dead ends to find her killer. The prosecution is faced with an uphill battle as McCoy and Price butt heads over a choice that could cost them the case.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Doubles
    7.0/10(315 votes)

    #14 - Doubles

    S4:E21

    An assailant breaks the wrist of a tennis player prior to a tournament, and a competitor is among the suspects.

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    Director:Edwin Sherin
  16. Background image for Entrapment
    7.0/10(314 votes)

    #15 - Entrapment

    S7:E9

    The case against Huey Tate, a young man accused of shooting the well-known leader of the African-American Congress comes undone when the New York authorities learn that their chief witness was once an informant for the FBI, and is still under their protection.

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    Director:Matthew Penn
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Untitled
    7.0/10(299 votes)

    #16 - Untitled

    S10:E20

    A wealthy woman, who is a patron of the arts, is found dead in her apartment and the ensuing investigation leads to a suspect whose violence was spurred by a painting similar to the crime scene.

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    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for Whose Monkey is it Anyway?
    7.0/10(294 votes)

    #17 - Whose Monkey is it Anyway?

    S11:E10

    The death of a lab technician and the abduction of 17 infected monkeys lead to a trial involving the treatment of research animals.

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  19. Background image for Formerly Famous
    7.0/10(282 votes)

    #18 - Formerly Famous

    S12:E6

    The shooting death of a former singer's wife leads the detectives to investigate his manager and sons after his explanation of the events surrounding her death have no credibility.

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    Director:Unknown
  20. Background image for Foul Play
    7.0/10(230 votes)

    #19 - Foul Play

    S12:E21

    The investigation into the death of a private investigator uncovers corruption, deceit, and immigration fraud in a Youth Baseball League whose manager will go to any lengths to win.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for Melting Pot
    7.0/10(282 votes)

    #20 - Melting Pot

    S17:E15

    After an actress is found dead in her apartment, Green and Cassady attempt to prove that her death was not a suicide.

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    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for Wicked Game
    7.0/10(364 votes)

    #21 - Wicked Game

    S21:E6

    When a young man is found dead of an apparent overdose, Dixon fiercely pursues a homicide investigation as an old unsolved case comes back to haunt her. Price and Maroun risk putting a witness in harm's way to expose their suspect.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for Second Chance
    7.0/10(232 votes)

    #22 - Second Chance

    S22:E11

    When an ex-con is found beaten to death, Cosgrove and Shaw arrest an unlikely culprit. Maroun must put her personal feelings for the suspect aside and take the lead in court when she and Price can't agree on the best trial strategy.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for Facade
    7.0/10(223 votes)

    #23 - Facade

    S23:E8

    Shaw and Riley investigate the death of a comedian after a subway altercation. When a suspect is arrested, Baxter insists they increase the charges despite Price's apprehension. At trial, a new witness comes forward to throw the case into question.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for In God We Trust
    7.0/10(166 votes)

    #24 - In God We Trust

    S24:E13

    A young lawyer with a secret past is found dead. Price and Baxter debate the pros and cons of prison as a punishment versus alternative justice options.

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  26. Background image for Securitate
    7.1/10(313 votes)

    #25 - Securitate

    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.

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Free Speech" is the worst rated episode of "Law & Order". It scored 6.1/10 based on 498 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 4/7/2022. This episode scored 0.2 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Black and Blue".