"Prescription for Death" is the first episode of the long-running crime drama television series Law & Order. It was aired on September 13, 1990. Although it was the first episode of the series to air, it is not the pilot. The pilot episode Everybody's Favorite Bagman", which was filmed two years prior to the rest of the first season, was aired as the sixth episode. "Ripped from the headlines" - this episode is based upon the death of Libby Zion.