NBC Universal has sold iconic drama Law & Order to TV
stations in more than 80% of the country for weekend runs starting next
fall, said Sean O'Boyle, executive vice president of syndication sales for NBCU.
This marks the first time the show, which NBC canceled in
May after 20 seasons, will air in broadcast syndication, although entire cable
networks have built their schedules around it for years. The show still airs on
TNT.
Stations from the Fox, CBS, Cox, Gannett, Hearst and Sunbeam
have picked up the show, with Fox-owned stations acquiring the show in the top
three markets.
"We've had success
with the Law & Order franchise
both in syndication and as an important building block for MyNet," said Frank
Cicha, senior vice president of programming for the Fox TV stations. "Acquiring 'the mothership' for weekends is a natural extension of this."
Law & Order joins its two spin-offs, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, both
of which have had successful runs in broadcast syndication.
"We have a lot of momentum with this brand in the
marketplace and I am excited for continued success with the flagship drama that
started it all," said Dick Wolf, the show's creator and executive producer, in
a statement.
