NBC announces 'Law & Order: Hate Crimes'

Partners in crime. Former Law & Order: SVU partners Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni).

One of the most popular shows on American television has just announced a new spinoff series.

NBC has announced that "Law & Order: Hate Crimes" will be out sometime in 2018, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dick Wolf, creator of "Law & Order" and Warren Leight, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" showrunner, are the masterminds behind the new spinoff.

"As with all of my crime shows, I want to depict what's really going on in our cities and shine a light on the wide-ranging victims and show that justice can prevail," Wolf said in a statement.

"Twenty years ago when SVU began, very few people felt comfortable coming forward and reporting these crimes, but when you bring the stories into people's living rooms — with characters as empathetic as Olivia Benson — a real dialogue can begin. That's what I hope we can do with this new show in a world where hate crimes have reached an egregious level."

According to Variety, Hate Crimes will be based on New York City's actual Hate Crimes Task Force, which works to fight against discrimination.

The FBI states hate crimes as the highest priority of its Civil Rights programme, as crimes based on intolerance can "plant the seed of terrorism".

Fans of the series believe the new spinoff may touch on the current racial tensions in America.

Law and Order: Hate Crimes will be boycotted instantly because conservatives are going to hate seeing themselves as the villains in every episode

— Russell Falcon (@RussellFalcon) September 4, 2018

This will be the franchise's seventh spinoff.