How Two Female Characters Rescued Law & Order From Being Canceled by NBC (Photo Credit – Prime Video)
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Law & Order, the crime drama giant that ran for two decades, nearly ended way earlier than expected. Before becoming a TV staple, it was on shaky ground around Season 3. And no, it wasn’t because of low ratings or bad scripts. The real issue was not having enough women on screen.
Law & Order Survived by Timely Woman Additions
Back then, Law & Order had a male-heavy lineup. For instance, Chris Noth, Dan Florek, and a bunch of other gentlemen in suits. NBC wasn’t feeling it. The network gave series creator Dick Wolf an ultimatum: bring in female characters or risk losing the show. So, Wolf made a game-time decision.
Enter S. Epatha Merkerson and Jill Hennessey, the duo who changed the course entirely. Merkerson came in as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren, and Hennessey took on the role of ADA Claire Kincaid. Merkerson once told NPR,
“I got the job on a Friday and I started working on a Monday. Because that whole thing about NBC asking Dick to bring women on happened, I believe, at the last minute.” Looks like, she barely had time to breathe before reporting to set. The casting shake-up was literally a survival move. As Merkerson explained:
“They were going to cancel Law and Order… because NBC wanted women on the show. So Dick let two of the guys go and he brought on two women. That’s how Jill Hennessey and I ended up on the show, because NBC was going to cancel it if he didn’t bring skirts in.”
Once the new duo was in place, things took off. The audience grew. Women at home saw faces they could finally relate to. The show found its balance and its persisting influence. Merkerson added, “They didn’t believe that the show could last without women on it… But what happened was when the show went to syndication that’s when our demographic changed, because there are a lot of women who are at home. And then we started getting more women viewers.”
So while Law & Order has seen a rotating door of detectives and DAs over the years, its real plot twist came early on with on-set challenges. However, thanks to that last-minute move!
