In the Season 23 finale of “Law & Order,” the fate of Tony Goldwyn’s prosecutor Nicholas Baxter was left uncertain on election night, but showrunner Rick Eid told TheWrap before the Oct. 3 premiere that the character had indeed won and would be back for the full season.
He also promised that Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) will play “a big part” of the second episode, which deals with the murder of a tech CEO. “(Benson) has a pre-existing relationship with the defendant in this case,” Eid said. “That’s really a big part of the episode. It felt organic as far as Mariska’s character goes, and it was an interesting element of the story that gave her another layer.”
Eid said the crossover, which also sees the return of Elizabeth Marvel’s character of criminal defense attorney Rita Calhoun, is “more organic” than some of the premieres of the previous three series, including “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”
While the strike-shortened season 23 only included 13 episodes, the new season has a full 22, said Eid.
He also revealed that Ryan Eggold from “New Amsterdam” and “The Blacklist” has been cast in the role of the brother of Reid Scott’s character Vincent Riley: He will appear in connection with a case in episode 3 titled “Big Brother”.
Eid explained that Riley, who joined the series last season, will also clash with new police lieutenant Jessica Brady, played by Maura Tierney, whose casting was announced in July.
“(The position is) traditionally more of a supervisory role, but this particular character still enjoys being a detective because she’s a little more involved than the typical lieutenant. She still interrogates, she still thinks like a detective, so she’s definitely actively involved in the cases,” Eid said.
He added: “She’s a bit of a quirky character. She has a certain talent for interrogation and can pick up on little details and certain things that other detectives might miss.”
The former “ER” star takes over the place of Camryn Manheim, who has played Lt. Kate Dixon since the series was rebooted in 2021.
Eid has also been on the crime drama since it was revived, but this is the first season he’s been able to focus exclusively on “Law & Order” after stepping down as showrunner of another Wolf Entertainment show, “FBI” on CBS. “It turned out to be a lot more work doing two shows,” he laughed. “It’s nice to really dive in and become completely immersed in this show. So, yeah, I’m enjoying it.”
He has been part of the Dick Wolf universe “with interruptions” for the past 20 years and has worked on series such as “Chicago PD,” “FBI: International” and “Law & Order: Trial by Jury.”
“Honestly, it sounds like a cliche, but we just make them as good as we can. ‘Quality’ is the word we use the most. It’s really about quality and powerful storytelling. By that, I mean it’s about the story and not just filler. We try to make it as grounded and real as possible.”
The premiere of the 24th season of “Law & Order” begins on October 3 at 8 p.m., followed by the premiere of the 26th season of “Law & Order: SVU” at 9 p.m. Both shows will stream on Peacock the next day.
“Organized Crime,” starring Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, has been moved from NBC primetime to streaming on Peacock for Season 5, but a premiere date has not yet been announced.
