“Law & Order” is nothing short of a TV institution at this point, as the original show enjoyed a massive run on NBC and multiple spinoffs have captured the attention of millions. But producer Dick Wolf’s golden goose has not had a spotless record when it comes to expanding the universe of crime procedurals. In fact, there’s one big blemish for NBC and Wolf that longtime fans might not remember. In 2004, NBC announced that “Law & Order: Trial By Jury” would be the franchise’s next spinoff. At the time, there was little reason to doubt its potential for success, and the previous spinoff attempts were a huge reason for optimism.
Both “Law & Order: SVU” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” were well-regarded hits among critics and fans of the original series. In particular, “Law & Order: SVU” was basically a revelation early in its run, tying emotional storylines to the proven “case of the week” structure that “Law & Order” helped solidify as a genre staple. That kind of momentum usually leads to strong results, but unforeseen challenges doomed “Law & Order: Trial By Jury” before it could truly find its footing.
The cast of “Law & Order: Trial By Jury” leaned heavily on familiar faces from the franchise. Fred Dalton Thompson returned as ADA Arthur Branch, and Jerry Orbach’s Detective Lennie Briscoe was a welcome presence. Bebe Neuwirth joined as Assistant D.A. Tracey Kibre, Amy Carlson was Assistant D.A. Kelly Gaffney, and Kirk Acevado played Hector Salazar. They added drama to the proceedings as both the defense and prosecution prepared for their cases. Then, the high-leverage cases would bring the episodes home. However, those well-laid plans were scuttled by factors beyond the show’s control, and NBC would cut bait before things could go off the rails any quicker.
Law & Order: Trial by Jury couldn’t compete with Numb3rs
Scheduling played an important role in the struggles faced by “Law & Order: Trial by Jury,” particularly when it came to its time slot. NBC slotted the latest “Law & Order” series at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. While that’s pretty normal for a show with slightly mature subject matter, it would end up being costly for this particular series. In normal circumstances, a spinoff to an established winner like “Law & Order” would have been enough. But, CBS would end up debuting “Numb3rs” in 2005, directly opposite “Law & Order: Trial By Jury,” and that would prove catastrophic for the new effort from NBC.
“Numb3rs” became a surprise hit for CBS, dominating the coveted time slot and outperforming NBC’s competing shows. If that weren’t bad enough, NBC acquired Sunday Night Football that year, and the places to hide a flailing show shrank. The NFL was a massive business back in the mid-2000s, and that fact has only intensified in modern times. There’s no way that NBC was going to prioritize anything above that partnership.
Not even Dick Wolf thought they would cancel “Law & Order: Trial By Jury.” But the surprising news came in, and the run ended after just 13 episodes aired. Entertainment Weekly quoted Dick Wolf as saying he had “never been this shocked by a corporate decision.” The series producer wasn’t alone, but when it comes to making these decisions on a broadcast network, ratings often make the choices for companies like NBC. Unfortunately, “Law & Order: Trial By Jury” just didn’t have the juice, and it ran up against a buzzsaw at an inopportune time. Once all those factors were added up, the case was closed.