Viewers’ Thursday nights just got better with a new season of a TV fan favourite and two fresh shows airing one after the other. Starting 28 September, every Thursday will see six-time Emmy Award winner Law & Order, topical crime anthology Accused, and tense political drama The Undeclared War air at 19:00, 20:00, and 21:00 on M-Net (DStv Channel 101).
Law & Order season 22
Kicking things off at 19:00 is Law & Order, back for its 22nd season. It's a show that's cemented in popular culture and is the longest-running police procedural in television history.
This season will see the detectives of the NYPD's Manhattan Homicide Squad investigate a deadly subway shooting, the murder of a young author, and the death of a politician's daughter. Meanwhile, the lawyers of the Manhattan District Attorney's office must balance their pursuit of justice with the demands of the legal system.
Here are some fast facts about Law & Order:
- As mentioned, Law & Order has been running for a long time. It ended its 20th season in 2010 and returned in 2022 – an 11-year hiatus!
- The show continues to influence pop culture. This year, a TikTok dance based on the Law & Order theme tune went viral.
- TV Guide ranked it among their "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time".
- The show has won six Emmys and has been nominated for three Golden Globes, among dozens of other accolades.
- It's spawned six spinoffs: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Law & Order: Los Angeles, Law & Order True Crime, and Law & Order: Organized Crime as well as a television film Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.
Accused
At 20:00, viewers can catch Accused, based on BBC's 2010 BAFTA-winning crime anthology of the same name. It was a big hit in the UK with viewers and critics. The show features a new case and cast every episode for viewers to unravel, so those into twists and turns should get ready to play detective. It stars talented actors including Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and episodes are directed by Billy Porter (Pose) and Marlee Matlin (The L Word), among others.
Each episode opens in a courtroom with a defendant. Viewers know nothing about their crime or how circumstances led to their prosecution. Unlike most courtroom shows where the prosecutor takes the spotlight, this drama is told from the defendant's point of view.
Viewers discover how ordinary people can find themselves in an extraordinary situation, ultimately revealing how one wrong turn leads to another until it's too late to turn back.
The Undeclared War
Rounding out the night at 21:00 is The Undeclared War, a new series created by BAFTA-winning creator Peter Kosminsky. This six-part drama is set in 2024 and tells the story of a group of British intelligence analysts who have the task of tracking and countering a series of Russian cyber-attacks in the run-up to the UK general election.
Saara Parvin (portrayed by Hannah Khalique-Brown) starts a work experience placement at GCHQ, the UK's intelligence and security agency. On her first day, she witnesses a routine stress test of the country's internet infrastructure go awry, taking down a significant portion of the internet. It's revealed that a foreign power deliberately carried out the attack.
As Saara and her colleagues race to stop the attack, they face the challenges of fighting a war that's taking place in the digital realm. The rules constantly change, and the enemy is always one step ahead. The stakes are high, as the attack could devastate the UK's economy and infrastructure. But how do you win a war most of the public don't know you're fighting?
The series was developed through meticulous research over five years by Kosminsky and has been lauded for its realism and timely subject matter.
Viewers who liked Mr Robot, Black Mirror, 24, and Homeland will enjoy this tightly wound political drama.
M-Net (DStv channel 101) is the home of the best in international entertainment. All shows will be live-streamed on DStv Stream and are available on DStv Catch Up. Join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Feature image: Accused.