When Law & Order Thursdays officially return to NBC, fans will be treated to a whirlwind reunion with the squads with a two-hour crossover event between Season 25 of Law & Order and Season 27 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

NBC dropped an official teaser for the two-part crossover episode, and it looks like an explosive must-watch. Set to premiere on January 8 on NBC, it looks like the whole Law & Order family will be weighing in on the latest case, which sees the “entire city in grave danger” after the squads discover someone stockpiling contraband. From murder scenes to tense moments among the investigators, the trailer for the new crossover episode promises plenty of twists and turns that are sure to have viewers glued to their screens.

The first look at Law & Order and SVU‘s two-hour crossover event is wild

The teaser for the crossover event wasted no time jumping into the action as Lt. Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney) is seen with blood splatter all over her face. Next, we see Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) cautioning the 27th Precinct against the “trafficking” and “murder” charges ahead of them as they join forces to track down the assailants.

“The whole city is in grave danger,” Brady says before we see a mob of people fleeing from a local event, meaning this case clearly takes a large-scale toll.

D.A. Nicholas Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) urges the detectives, “Do whatever we have to do to find them,”

Next, we see the squads bust into a building, only to discover a massive storage of firearms, explosives, and contraband. But before the detectives can make much headway, Detective Terry Bruno (Kevin Kane) notices a quiet ticking in the room.

“Shh, you hear that?” Bruno asked with concern.

Sure enough, just as squads flee the building, the building explodes in a fiery blaze, mere seconds from obliterating all of the Law & Order fan favorites. Needless to say, the near-death experiences light a fire under Benson and Brady that has them determined to see justice served.

The Law & Order and SVU crossover will feel “like a movie”

As for what fans can look forward to from the thrilling crossover event, Law & Order’s showrunner Rick Eid told TV Insider in September 2025 that viewers can expect a continual, cinematic story between episodes, with the goal for the episode to “have many characters from both shows in both hours, so it feels more like a movie than a handoff to a second show.”

The Law & Order and SVU casts delight in crossover episodes as much as the fans do, relishing in any opportunity to join forces behind the scenes. Law & Order‘s Odelya Halevi told NBC Insider in November 2025 that she was looking forward to reconnecting with the SVU squad as A.D.A. Samantha Maroun, largely thanks to Hargitay’s infallible hospitality.

“Mariska Hargitay is such an amazing host,” Halevi said. “You know, every time we go there, every time we get to work with her, she is the most welcoming. She has the best energy; she is just always happy, always has a smile on her face. She makes it feel like we’re home.”