New Law & Order trailer teases new drama and returning fan favorites

Justice is officially back in session. Law & Order returns Thursday with all-new episodes as well as a cast of new faces and returning fan favorites — and in anticipation of its premiere, NBC has dropped a new trailer that teases what we can look forward to.

Among the usual drama in (and out of) the courtroom, the trailer promises to show "the issues we face ripped from the headlines" — making it clear the show is adapting to a new decade by taking on cases that are now at the forefront of our world. That includes things such as Internet rumors, the Me Too movement, and protests centered on race and gender.

As Sam Waterston bemoans to his colleagues, "Where do we draw the line?!"

The original Law & Order premiered in 1990 and quickly became one of television's primetime staples, going on to be nominated for 50 Emmys and winning for Outstanding Drama Series in 1997. After season 20, the show was abruptly canceled by NBC, despite franchise head Dick Wolf's best attempts to bring it back. Now, after three decades since it first premiered, the show is being given a new lease on life.

Fans of the OG procedural who might be suspicious of the show changing too much shouldn't worry, though — producer Rick Eid told Variety in a recent interview that the "tonal changes" of the show have remained intact and if anything seems different, it's simply "because the world is different."

"We're not shying away from any of those [timely] conflicts. In fact, it's always been the goal of the show to get people throwing their shoes at the television, and certainly there are issues that are going to infuriate people and frustrate people about how they turned out," Waterston told Variety, speaking about the new series. "That's the pleasure of watching Law & Order; there is a resolution but there's a lot of dissatisfaction with the way it goes. It feels, to me, like Law & Order might have something to contribute to the general conversation because we're all mad about something. We're all mad as hell about something right now and mad at each other. For us to get these big issues aired, and to have not a conclusion but a resolution of some kind that you can chew on, might be a useful service."

Joining OG series vet Waterston in the revival is Odelya Halevi as assistant DA Samantha Maroun, Jeffrey Donovan as Det. Frank Cosgrove, Hugh Dancy as assistant DA Nathan Price, Anthony Anderson (returning as Junior Det. Kevin Bernard, a role he originated in season 18) and Practice vet Camryn Manheim as Lt. Kate Dixon.

Watch the trailer above. You can catch the new Law & Order when it premieres Feb. 24 on NBC.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• The original Law & Order is coming back for season 21
• Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay tease Law & Order: SVU reunion with on-set photos
• DUN-DUN! Jack McCoy is back in first teaser for the new (old) Law & Order