A new 'Law & Order' series - this one focusing on hate crimes - has been ordered to series at NBC.
Per Variety, the new series will focus on the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force which is part of the Special Victims Unit and often borrows detectives from it to assist investigations - so don't be surprised if you see Detective Benson or possibly even Munch drop in for an episode here or there.
The first season has been ordered for thirteen episodes, and given the uptick in racially-motivated crimes and the normalisation of white nationalism thanks to Donald Trump in America, it seems like the perfect time for a series focused on investigating hate crimes. Speaking to Variety, Dick Wolf - the series creator - explained that "(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.”
In total, seven spin-offs from 'Law & Order' have come out, however 'SVU' - which was renewed for its twentieth season in May of this year - is still on the air. No casting has been announced for 'Law & Order: Hate Crimes' as of yet and neither has any airdate been mentioned, but expect this series to get a lot of buzz when it eventually makes it way to our screen.
