Thursday night has arrived, but don’t expect to see either Law & Order series on NBC’s lineup for the night.
Both Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU will not be airing new episodes on March 26, nor will they be airing in reruns. Dick Wolf’s long-running dramas are off the air entirely on Thursday night due to Opening Day and NBC celebrating the start of the MLB season with special primetime coverage airing on both NBC and Peacock this evening.
Rather than bringing fans new episodes or repeats of Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and The Hunting Party, NBC is turning over its Thursday night lineup to the MLB with live coverage of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks game beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Funny enough, sports and special event coverage is keeping many Thursday night hits off the air on March 26, with only one network’s regularly scheduled programs airing.
NBC has bumped its entire lineup for Opening Day, CBS has benched its Thursday night shows for March Madness coverage, and Fox is handing over its primetime block for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards. This means ABC is the only network airing its regularly scheduled shows with new episodes of 911, 911: Nashville, and Grey’s Anatomy serving as the best options for fans looking for something scripted to watch tonight.
While Law & Order fans won’t be able to enjoy new episodes this evening, there is at least some good news for the fans! After taking the last two weeks of March off, Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU will both return with new episodes on Thursday, April 2.
Once the shows return, we should get new episodes pretty consistently through April and May leading up to the Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU season finales. NBC has not yet announced finale dates for its shows, but it’s looking like most of its scripted originals will wrap by the week of May 18, which means we’re likely to see Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU’s current seasons both wrap on May 21, 2026.
As for what to expect when the Law & Order shows return with fresh episodes to kick off the month of April?
Law & Order's April 2 episode will see Price and Maroun in disagreement over charges brought against the suspect connected to the murder of a woman whose body was found in a suitcase. The episode will also see Riley dealing with some scrutiny when he's involved in car accident while on-duty.
Directly after, in a new Law & Order: SVU, the SVU team steps in after a woman undergoing psychedelic-assisted therapy uncovers a buried memory of an assault. It's going to be a case that will really test the team, as they'll have little evidence to help guide them towards the individual responsible for the woman's assault. We'll also get to see Curry starting a new position within SVU, which is certain to bring about some growing pains in the episode as he settles into his new role.