‘Law & Order: For the Defense’ Scrapped at NBC Following Fall Scheduling

NBC is no longer expanding their Law & Order franchise for the fall 2021 season as previously announced series Law & Order: For the Defense gets scrapped at the network.

The show had been given a straight-to-series order back in May but has since been tabled in a mutual decision made by producer Dick Wolf and NBC. For the Defense was going to put lawyers in the spotlight along with the criminal justice system.

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Each episode was going to tackle contemporary tales of morality, taking an unbiased look inside of a criminal defense firm. No casting had been announced for the series, but CSI‘s Carol Mendelsohn had been tapped to serve as showrunner and executive producer.

For the Defense was meant to air on Thursdays but its slot in NBC’s schedule has now gone to The Blacklist which has previously aired on Fridays. The Law & Order entry would have joined ongoing series SVU and Organized Crime as well as former titles in the franchise including Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Law & Order: True Crime among others.

(Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)

SVU, meanwhile, will make a splash this fall as it returns with a two-hour premiere on Thursday, September 23, followed by the premiere of Organized Crime. At the time of For the Defense‘s series order, Wolf had noted it was “exciting for me personally,” adding that he was excited to “play defense” after 30 years of covering offense with the other shows. Unfortunately, fans won’t know what that looks like as For the Defense gets left behind.