Law & Order (season 18) | |
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Season 18 U.S. DVD cover
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Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 18 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | January 2 – May 21, 2008 |
Season chronology | |
The 18th season of Law & Order premiered on NBC on January 2, 2008, and concluded on May 21, 2008.
On May 13, 2007, NBC renewed Law & Order for an 18th season of 22 episodes as part of a deal made by series creator Dick Wolf and NBC. Though the series was originally scheduled to air on Sundays as a midseason replacement for NBC Sunday Night Football,TV Guide reported on December 4, 2007, that Law & Order would debut instead on Wednesday, January 2, 2008.
René Balcer, who had developed and produced spinoff Law & Order: Criminal Intent, returned to Law & Order this season as executive producer.
In May 2007, cast member Fred Thompson departed the series to return to politics, with reports saying he would seek the Republican nomination for the 2008 U.S. presidential election. His character, District Attorney Arthur Branch, was replaced in that function by Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy, with McCoy being promoted to Branch's vacant seat after serving as Executive Assistant District Attorney since the resignation of his predecessor Benjamin Stone. Since this move required that a new character be added to the series, the writers created the role of EADA Michael Cutter and British actor Linus Roache was brought in to portray him.