Dick Wolf Extends Law & Order Franchise with Show About Hate Crimes

Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf is working on Law & Order: Hate Crimes, which has been given a 13-episode order from NBC.

Co-created with former Law & Order: Special Victims Unit showrunner Warren Leight, the latest installment of the popular Law & Order franchise is based on New York’s actual Hate Crimes Task Force, the second oldest bias-based task force in the U.S. The unit, which pledges to uphold a zero-tolerance policy against discrimination of any kind, works under the NYPD’s real Special Victims Unit and often borrows SVU’s detectives to assist in their investigations. The first incarnation of this new unit will be introduced in the latter part of the upcoming 20th season of SVU.

“As Law & Order: SVU enters its remarkable 20thseason, it is exciting to get back into business with Dick Wolf on a new Law & Order incarnation that feels extremely timely,” said Lisa Katz, co-president of scripted programming at NBC Entertainment. “Considering that last year there was a double-digit rise in hate crimes in our 10 largest cities—the highest total in over a decade—it seemed like this topic is begging to be explored.”

Tracey Pakosta, co-president of scripted programming at NBC Entertainment, added: “We’re confident that Dick and Warren will examine these cases in all their complexity and deliver another riveting series for our country, currently grappling with an escalation of these crimes and the motivations behind them.”

“As with all of my crime shows, I want to depict what’s really going on in our cities and shine a light on the wide-ranging victims and show that justice can prevail,” Wolf said. “Twenty years ago when SVU began, very few people felt comfortable coming forward and reporting these crimes, but when you bring the stories into people’s living rooms—with characters as empathetic as Olivia Benson—a real dialogue can begin. That’s what I hope we can do with this new show in a world where hate crimes have reached an egregious level.”

“I’m extremely impressed by the actual men and women investigating these cases in a city as complicated and diverse as New York,” Leight said. “The work they are doing puts them on the front lines in a battle for the soul of our city and nation. I’m thrilled about the chance to reunite with Dick and NBC to portray the reality of this crisis.”