History Series / LawAndOrder

** One particularly memorable instance was in "Gunshow" (s10e1), involving a defendant who ''was'' most certainly guilty[hottip:*:A gun manufacturer charged with Depraved Indiference Homicide for allowing their products to be modified into illegal automatic weapons because fixing the issue would cut into profits. A case that was based on the real life [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intratec_TEC-DC9 Intratec TEC-9]] ]], and the jury agreed. Immediately after declaring him guilty, while everyone is celebrating as per usual, the defense attorney asks the judge to set aside the verdict, and the judge does so, admonishing the jury and ADA McCoy that they allowed their feelings to get in the way of interpreting the facts correctly. So McCoy won a ''very'' difficult court battle, and the defendant ''still'' got to go free. Though it should be noted that Jack's strongest piece of evidence (a memo proving the defendants knew about the issue at hand) thrown out because it was privileged communication.

** One particularly memorable instance involves a defendant who ''was'' most certainly guilty, and the jury agreed. Immediately after declaring him guilty, while everyone is celebrating as per usual, the defense attorney asks the judge to set aside the verdict, and the judge does so, admonishing the jury and ADA McCoy that they allowed their feelings to get in the way of interpreting the facts correctly. So McCoy won a ''very'' difficult court battle, and the defendant ''still'' got to go free.

** And even if there is a "happy" ending, you are still going to leave seriously thinking about some issue. If the ending isn't bittersweet, then the crime itself (or situations linked to it) was horrible.

* ObstructiveVigilance: Nick Falco shows up after his short run as a suspect and his determined efforts to clear his name repeatedly pooch the investigation.

* DidNotDoTheResearch: There's about a 50% chance any time a prosecutor is on-screen that he or she is doing something wrong.
** On the other hand, they DO in fact cite real caselaw. So it's some combination of playing this trope straight and some aversion. Usually by RuleOfDrama of course.

* ChokeHolds: A military man upset at a [[AssholeVictim Jerk Pacifist] mocking his dead son employs a sleeper hold blood choke. It leaves telltale bruises over the victim's carotid arteries.

* IrishmanAndAJew: Logan and Briscoe.

* ShaggyDogStory

* LimitedWardrobe: Jack prefers a bulky windbreaker to a more aesthetically pleasing overcoat, and occasionally wears jeans and a denim jacket.

* CrossOver: Several with its own spinoffs, as well as with ''[[{{ptitledde7ltdu}} Homicide: Life on the Street]]''.

* VillainousBreakdown: JohnRitter guest starred as a man who killed his unfaithful wife. He was real smug about it up until the point where he found out the unborn child his wife was carrying was his.

* ExecutiveMeddling: [[TropesAreNotBad A strangely positive case.]] You know [[DaChief S. Epatha Merkerson's]] character? How about [[HelloAttorney Jill Hennesey's]]? Both came about via NBC wanting more women on the cast.

* NotSoFastBucko

* ThemeNaming: It's probably a coincidence, but across the spinoffs there's been ADA Skinner, ADA Borgia, [[LawAndOrderCriminalIntent ADA Carver, Det. 'Gore'n]], possibly an ADA Cutter, [[LawAndOrderUK CPS Steele]]...

* DeusExScuseMe: The show does this a lot. Pick a series, pick an episode, someone answers their cell and walks out of the scene.

* CorruptPolitician: Often a victim or a murderer, or a conspirer.