Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Premise

Premise

"In New York City's war on crime, the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Major Case Squad. These are their stories."

Criminal Intent follows a division of the New York City Police Department, the "Major Case Squad". The Major Case Squad investigates high-profile cases (in most cases, murder) such as those involving VIPs, local government officials and employees, the financial industry, and the art world. Unlike the other shows in the Law & Order franchise, during Seasons 5–8, Criminal Intent episodes typically alternated between two teams of detectives: Robert Goren and Alexandra Eames alternating with veteran Detective Mike Logan and his partners, Carolyn Barek, Megan Wheeler, and Nola Falacci; after Season 7, Mike Logan retired from the NYPD and was replaced with Detective Zack Nichols.

The series pays attention to the actions and motives of the criminals, rather than focusing exclusively on the police and prosecutions. A feature of each Criminal Intent episode is that the cold open always involves a series of cut-scenes that show events from the suspects' and victims' lives, leading up to the crime. Clues to the crime's eventual solution can often be found in this teaser sequence. Unlike other Law & Order series, most Criminal Intent episodes end in confessions rather than continuing to the trial phase.

The UK-aired version of Law & Order: Criminal Intent features the song "There's Only Me" by Rob Dougan in the opening credits. Another Rob Dougan track, "I'm Not Driving Anymore", is used as the theme for Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.