| Law & Order | |
|---|---|
| Season 23 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | January 18, 2024 – present |
| Season chronology | |
The twenty-third season of Law & Order , an American police procedural and legal drama, premiered on NBC on January 18, 2024. The season will consist of 13 episodes.
It was announced that Law & Order was renewed for a twenty-third season on April 10, 2023. [2] Production on this season was delayed due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike and subsequent joint 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, the writers' rooms for the Law & Order franchise did not return until after a deal was struck with the Writers Guild in October 2023. [3] It was announced that Rick Eid was returning as show runner/executive producer and once SAG-AFTRA struck a deal, allowing actors to return to work; production would begin on the show the week after Thanksgiving, which put NBC setting the premiere date for January 18, 2024. [4] Due to the longevity of the strikes, NBC cut the episode number of the season down from twenty-two episodes to thirteen. [5] [6]
Two weeks before production was set to begin on this season, it was announced on November 15, 2023, that star Jeffrey Donovan (Detective Frank Cosgrove) would not be returning to the series, that he was 'let go due for creative reasons'. This put the show looking to find someone to fill the role. [7] [8] November 22, 2023, Reid Scott (of Veep fame) would be joining the cast in place of Donovan, later revealed to be portraying Detective Vincent Riley. [9] At NBC's red carpet event celebrating Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s twenty-fifth-season premiere, Mehcad Brooks (Detective Jalen Shaw) spoke with TV Line and said of working with Scott and his character, "We’re expanding on a lot of the tit-for-tat relationship, the quick New York quips. Reid brings a very youthful energy to the role, and I think you have two guys in the same generation who aren’t so different because they’re from different generations, but they’re different because they have different perspectives to life." Brooks continued, "There’s enough camaraderie, and there’s enough trust that’s gained and earned that you believe this relationship. I think that there’s enough similarities between these two characters where you see them as potential best friends. But you don’t earn that too quickly." [10]
Scott had never appeared on the flagship series nor any of its spinoffs, but he always wanted to as far back as his early 20s. In a March 2024 interview with Town & Country he reveals how he saw the role come about for him, that it initially started when he saw the news that Donovan had gone from the show, "I would need several mental health days if I went down the wrong Deadline rabbit hole. So I just don't, and for whatever reason, this one day I did. The first article I see was Jeffrey Donovan leaving "Law & Order". And I don't know why, I just had this lightning bolt, like, 'Oh, they're going to come after me.' And then I moved on with my day and I didn't even think. I didn't mention it to anybody. I didn't say anything about it. I put it out of my head." Three days later Scott got a call from his agent/manager who told him about the sudden opportunity, before they even began to explain it, he guessed, "Is it "Law & Order?" Scott continued, "Not only am I scratching this itch from 20 plus years ago, but also, it's just fun to run around the streets of New York with a gun, a badge, and a bad attitude." [11]
"Greetings, you wonderful people. It’s a pleasure to talk directly like this to the backbone of Law & Order’s absolutely amazing audience. The time has come for me to move on and take Jack McCoy with me. There’s sadness in leaving, but I’m just too curious about what’s next. An actor doesn’t want to let himself get too comfortable. I’m more grateful to you than I can say. L&O’s continuing and amazing long run, along with its astounding comeback, is all thanks to you and Dick Wolf, but for whose vision, patience, perseverance, and unique combination of creative and business talents, none of this would have happened. I feel very blessed. I hope to see you all on the flip side."
—Sam Waterston's exit statement to viewers. [12]
On the afternoon of February 2, 2024, it was announced that after almost thirty years and over four-hundred episodes of portraying the character Jack McCoy, that Sam Waterston would be departing the series. And that subsequently, Tony Goldwyn (whose recent credits include Scandal ) would be joining as the new district attorney, Nicholas Baxter. Waterston also released a statement to long-time viewers during the announcement of his departure from the series. [13] Long-time Law & Order franchise executive producer and Wolf Entertainment president/Chief Operating Officer Peter Jankowski said long-time cast members like Waterston, SVU’s Mariska Hargitay, and Organized Crime’s Chris Meloni have been invaluable in setting the tone on set over the years, "There are all these incredible artists who also are tremendous leaders," he told The Hollywood Reporter, "You can’t make shows without people like that." Waterston's last episode, "Last Dance," aired on February 22, 2024, on NBC. [12]
Waterston, in an appearance on The Today Show that aired the day before his last episode was set to air on NBC, stated on shooting his last scene, "When they said goodbye to me, the last shot that I did was on the set of the courtroom and Dick Wolf showed up and everybody gave speeches. And I quoted from Abraham Lincoln, going to D.C. at the beginning of the Civil War — that he had been there for 25 years. If 25 years doesn’t matter, nothing matters." Waterston also displayed confidence in Tony Goldwyn taking over the district attorney role, "I think he’s going to be great. I think my reputation is in terrible danger because I think just he's going to be wonderful and I'll be watching. It's going to be big trouble. It'll be what the DA is, demanding and a lot of fun to watch." [14]
In an interview with The Wrap , Goldwyn noted that his character isn't any way similar to his predecessor, "Jack McCoy was really Atticus Finch, a purist about the law. The law is the law is the law, and that decides everything. I think Nick Baxter takes a much more holistic view towards the office. He’s a politician, and a very experienced and good lawyer. I think he views his function as part of a system and takes in societal concerns, and what the broader impacts and longer impacts of every decision. Gray is the primary color in our justice system, so you have to figure out through what lens you’re going to make your decisions." [15]
On March 19, 2024, Goldwyn elaborated further on who his character's inspiration is from with The Today Show, "I wouldn't say that [...] I'm modeling him after anyone in particular. I've always been fascinated with the criminal justice system. I'm on the board of an incredible organization called the Innocence Project, which is at the forefront of criminal justice reform in this country and has pioneered the use of DNA evidence to free the wrongfully convicted — which we're actually doing a show about now. We're filming it, so you'll see that soon." Goldwyn's first episode is "Balance of Power," which aired March 14, 2024 on NBC. [16]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [17] [18] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [17] [18] | Prod. code | U.S viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 489 | 1 | "Freedom of Expression" | Alex Hall | Teleplay by : Rick Eid & Pamela Wechsler Story by : Dick Wolf & Rick Eid | January 18, 2024 | 2301 | 5.32 [19] |
| In the wake of a murder on campus, the line between free speech and hate speech at a university is examined. | |||||||
| 490 | 2 | "Human Innovations" | Rachel Leiterman | Art Alamo | January 25, 2024 | 2302 | 4.60 [20] |
| When a prominent tech CEO is killed, Shaw and Riley untangle multiple leads to reveal a plot for retribution. Price and Maroun debate whether an overdue piece of evidence should be submitted to the jury. | |||||||
| 491 | 3 | "Turn the Page" | Michael Smith | Rick Eid | February 1, 2024 | 2304 | 4.85 [21] |
| When a young woman is strangled, Yee connects the M.O. to a potential serial offender, leading Riley to revisit a case that went cold on his watch. Price makes a risky move to bait one of their own on the stand. | |||||||
| 492 | 4 | "Unintended Consequences" | Martha Mitchell | Pamela Wechsler & Gia Gordon | February 8, 2024 | 2303 | 4.56 [22] |
| Shaw and Riley investigate a real estate agent’s murder, but after they speak with prominent clients, an unexpected witness appears. Price and Maroun struggle to convince a jury of motive and face a difficult decision about their only witness. | |||||||
| 493 | 5 | "Last Dance" | Alex Hall | Rick Eid & Pamela Wechsler | February 22, 2024 | 2305 | 4.87 [23] |
When a woman is found murdered in Central Park, evidence points to two frequent parkgoers: a street vendor and a tech billionaire. In the face of extreme political pressure, McCoy takes drastic action to make the case.
| |||||||
| 494 | 6 | "On the Ledge" | David Grossman | Pamela Wechsler & Jennifer Vanderbes | February 29, 2024 | 2306 | 4.70 [24] |
| 495 | 7 | "Balance of Power" | Carlos Bernard | Art Alamo & Ted Malawer | March 14, 2024 | 2307 | 4.19 [25] |
| 496 | 8 | "Facade" | Michael Smith | Art Alamo & Ajani Jackson | March 21, 2024 | 2308 | 3.99 [26] |
| 497 | 9 | "Family Ties" | TBA | TBA | April 11, 2024 | 2309 | TBD |
| 498 | 10 | TBA | TBA | TBA | April 18, 2024 | 2310 | TBD |
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