Law & Order to air first-ever crossover special with all 3 NBC dramas

The Law & Order cinematic universe is colliding for a historic crossover event.

For the first time in the franchise's history, all three of the currently airing Law & Order series will be joining forces for a three-hour special that is set to air Sept. 22, from 8-11 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. That means the cast of Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and the Law & Order mothership will be coming together on the small screen for an intertwined story arc.

The crossover will then drop on the Peacock streaming platform the next day, Sept. 23.

The special titled "Gimme Shelter" kicks off when a mysterious young girl is shot in cold blood. Jeffrey Donovan's Det. Frank Cosgrove of Law & Order teams up with Mehcad Brooks' Det. Jalen Shaw, the latter making his debut on the episode. But then it looks like this isn't your typical homicide, so Mariska Hargitay's Capt. Olivia Benson from SVU and Christopher Meloni's Det. Elliot Stabler from Organized Crime are called in to help.

The ensuing evidence will then see Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy and Hugh Dancy's ADA Nolan Price pursuing an international crime ring, but complications threaten the outcome of their case.

NBC released a first-look promo and photo of the uniting casts. "This was a coordinated attack," Benson determines, as heard in the teaser. "I'd like to combine forces, work this case together."

Stabler mentions "arms, drugs, sex trafficking," so you know it's some serious stuff. "If what you're saying is true, it's beyond comprehension," McCoy teases.

Dick Wolf, the architect of the Law & Order franchise, says the story will begin on Organized Crime before merging with SVU and segueing to the trial on Law & Order.

"Nothing demonstrates the power of the Law & Order brand more than an ambitious three-hour event with a story that is truly ripped from the headlines that starts on Organized Crime, then migrates to SVU and finally the trial on Law & Order," Wolf says in a statement. "Rick and Gwen did an amazing job writing a compelling script and I can't think of a bigger and better way to launch the new season of Law & Order Thursday."

Wolf is referring to Rick Eid (Law & Order) and Gwen Sigan (Chicago P.D.) who wrote "Gimme Shelter." The first two hours are directed by Law & Order franchise veteran Jean de Segonzac, and Alex Hall (Law & Order, The Deuce) takes over for the final hour.

The never-before-done crossover will help kick off NBC's broadcast season. "This unprecedented scheduling block is a tribute to all the Law & Order fans who've been watching this iconic brand for four decades on NBC," Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Programming at NBCU Television and Streaming, says in her own statement. "We couldn't be more excited to open our season with such a historic event."

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