Law & Order premiered September 13, 1990. The series was originally to air on Fox, but CEO Barry Diller later decided against it. The series was then pitched to CBS, and the pilot episode "Everybody's Favorite Bagman" was produced in 1988. CBS did not pick up the series, but NBC did in 1989, and the series began in 1990. With the airing of its twentieth season, beginning September 25, 2009, this show tied the record held by Gunsmoke (1955) for the longest running prime-time drama series on U.S. television. [x]