law and disorder

The Economic Impact of Canceling Law & Order

So Law & Order is done and its fans are bummed. But don’t worry too much about them. They’ll find another way to satisfy their need for crime procedurals (apparently it’s a popular format). The local economy, on the other hand, might not be so lucky.

According to the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, Law & Order provided about 4,000 jobs each year of its life and pumped $79 million into the economy annually. Over the course of its twenty-year run, the show spent around $1 billion. That’s a lot of bagels!

The show also led to new laws providing tax breaks to productions that are shot mostly in the city, which brought other productions and more money to New York. And then there are the actors. According to “several casting directors for theater, film and television” that the Times spoke to, “the majority of actors’ résumés that came across their desks included Law & Order credits.” Now everyone hoping to land a role as “Creepy Guy #2” will have to move to L.A.

Dropping of ‘Law & Order’ Leaves Hole in Economy [NYT]

The Economic Impact of Canceling Law & Order