Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American
police procedural television drama series set in
New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by
Dick Wolf and
René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama
Law & Order.
Criminal Intent focuses on the investigations of the
Major Case Squad in a fictionalized version of the
New York City Police Department set in New York City's
One Police Plaza. In the style of the original
Law & Order, episodes are often "ripped from the headlines" or loosely based on a real crime that received media attention.