In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups - and NBC has two separate, yet equally importantLaw & Orderseries. However, they won’t be separate for long this season, as the second episode ofLaw & Order’s 24th season will feature an appearance bySpecial Victims Unitmainstay Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). StarMehcad Brooks, in an interview withRadio Times, says the crossover episode is “an incredible story”.
Hargitay turns up on “The Perfect Man”, which will deal with the ripped-from-the-headlines case of an AI-based dating app and its murdered founder. Brooks had nothing but praise for Hargitay, who is about to begin her 26th season of crime-busting onSpecial Victims Unit. “I mean, listen, when the queen is in the building, the queen is in the building, you know what I mean? Whenever Mariska’s on set and whenever she’s in front of the camera, it’s magic – she’s a once-in-a-generation talent and a once-in-a-lifetime persona, so just having her there was a blessing for everyone. I hope she does more.”
What’s Happening on ‘Law & Order’ This Year?
Change is coming toLaw & Orderthis season, as it often does; last season saw the departure of long-tenured character DA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), who was replaced byTony Goldwyn’s Nicholas Baxter; it also saw the introduction ofReid Scott’s Detective Vincent Reilly to take over from Frank Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan). But there’s more turnover coming to the precinct house, as season 24 was the last forCamryn Manheim’s Lieutenant Kate Dixon. Replacing her on the series is Jessica Brady, played by veteran actorMaura Tierney. Brooks indicates that the transition may not be a smooth one: “She does things in her own way, the character walks to the beat of her own drum very much, and there’s a little tension about that and a level of acceptance and evolution – life goes on and you have to evolve and you have to change…and Shaw’s good at that, Shaw may be better at that than Riley is.”
Law & Ordermay not be the only series in the franchise that Hargitay guest-stars on this year. There’s a good chance that Benson will reunite with her formerSpecial Victims Unitpartner Eliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) on the now-Peacock-originalLaw & Order: Organized Crime. As Hargitay saidearlier this year, “They want us together, and Chris and I were talking about it, and it’s time. It’s time now for us.” There’s no word on whether the characters' long-runningwill-they-or-won’t-theyplot will be resolved, however.
Law & Order’s 24th season premieres tonight on NBC;the season’s second episode, with special guest Mariska Hargitay, will air on Thursday, October 10. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Law and Order
A murder (usually adapted from current events), is tracked from two separate vantage points. The first half of the show follows an investigation of a crime by the police, the second half follows the prosecution of the same crime in court.
