Can anyone imagine NBC without Law & Order? The show is in its seventeenth season, and has spawned two popular spin-offs, Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent. Reruns of all three series dominate basic cable channels like USA and Bravo, with viewership comprised mainly of women between the ages of 25 and 40. The irony is, most of these women don’t even watch the new episodes on NBC! But it seems the stalwart series has fallen on hard times, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The downward trend in the ratings has continued from last season, ever since the show moved from its familiar Wednesday night timeslot to Fridays, which is usually a kiss of death for a series, especially on the FOX network. Showrunners can expect considerable budget cuts to reduce the licensing fees the network has to pay for each episode, should the series return next season.

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing the flagship series end. It’s made its mark, and quite frankly, it’s just become boring, if not laughable. The “Ripped From THe Headlines” gimmick is tired, and now we’re even getting one based on Anna Nicole Smith’s last days. Haven’t we sensationalized this woman’s death enough?!? I know series creator Dick Wolf is looking to beat Gunsmoke’s record for the longest-running television drama at 20 seasons, but maybe it’s just not meant to be. Special Victims Unit has long since become the best Law & Order series of the bunch anyway.