Law & Orderseason 26 features a small but significant cast of characters who drive the action in every episode. For almost a quarter of a century, this series has focused on the police and court aspects of the justice system. It is most closely associated with Sam Waterston, who is, unfortunately, one of theLaw & Ordercast members who is not returning for season 26. However, most of the cast in this series is returning, and one new cast member is being added..
Law & Orderhas always focused more on police procedural aspects than on character-driven stories; thus, the police and cops in the show are easier to replace when an actor leaves. It has had its share of cast turnover, most notably when Chris Noth leftLaw & Orderover a contract dispute. In recent years, it has shifted to telling more personal stories than it has in the past, making it more important to pay attention to who is in theLaw & Ordercast.
All Cast And Characters InLaw & OrderSeason 24
Maura Tierney as Lieutenant Jessica Brady
Date of Birth: July 05, 2025
Actor:Maura Tierney was born in Boston, Massachusetts, andbroke big in ER, where she played Dr. Abby Lockart from the sixth through fifteenth seasons.Tierney has had a long career with an impressive number of credits and recently appeared as Fiona McKee inYour Honorseason 1 and Grace Poe inAmerican Rust. Tierney also played Helen Solloway inThe Affair,a long-running series about a novelist and a waitress that have an extramarital relationship.
Notable Shows and Movies:
1999-2009
2009-2011
2014-2019
Your Honor
2021
Character:Jessica Brady is the new head of the NYPD Homicide Department. Unlike Kate Dixon, she has little interest in developing a personal relationship with the detectives she supervises; her priority is closing cases as quickly as possible and pushing her detectives to do so whether or not it makes them hate her. Dixon’s abrupt departure and Brady’s business-like personality will cause her to clash with the detectives, especially Vince Riley.
Date of Birth: July 23, 2025
Actor:Mehcad Brooks was born in Austin, Texas andbroke big inDesperate Housewives,where he played Matthew Applewhite, the son of Betty Applewhite who turned out to be a killer in season 2.Brooks' other best-known role besides Jalen Shaw is Jimmy Olsen onSupergirl, which he played for six years. Brooks has appeared on all threeLaw & Ordershows as Shaw, though he has not yet appeared on any of the otherOne Chicagoshows.
2005-2006
Supergirl
2015-2021
Character:Jalen Shaw is a former defense attorney who joined the Homicide Unit duringLaw & Orderseason 22. Shaw is keenly aware of racial bias in policing and is determined to make arrests by the book, often criticizing his partners for bending the rules and playing fast and loose with suspects' civil rights. He unsuccessfully sued the department after two NYPD beat cops mistook him for a suspect because of his skin color and forced him onto the ground while he was on the way to a crime scene.
Reid Scott As Detective Vince Riley
Date of Birth: June 03, 2025
Actor:Reid Scott was born in Clifton Park, New York andbroke big inVeep,where he played Dan Egan, a daytime personality on CBS News.Scott is also known for his work inThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselas Gordon Ford and recently played Daniel in the Netflix filmThe Idea Of You. He has played Vince Riley onLaw & Ordersince season 23, when he replaced Jeffrey Donovan’s Frank Cosgrove as one of the two main detectives.
2012-2019
2022-2023
The Idea Of You
2024
Character:Vince Riley has been somewhat of an enigma since arriving at the NYPD Homicide Unit. Riley is hot-tempered and Shaw often has to rein him in. He was close with Dixon and it was revealed in season 23 that he once got suspended for punching a cop that disrespected her. Thus, Riley will take Dixon’s exit fromLaw & Orderhard and will have a difficult time getting along with her replacement, Jessica Brady.
Hugh Dancy As EADA Nolan Price
Date of Birth: June 19. 1975
Actor:Hugh Dancy was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, andbroke big to American audiences inHannibal,where he played Will Graham, the lead investigator trying to catch the infamous cannibal.Dancy is a familiar face on American television despite being born and raised in the UK and has appeared on shows such asHomelandandThe Good Fight. Dancy also played the role of Adam, the autistic main character in the romantic comedy of the same name, in 2009.
2009
2013-2015
2020
The Good Fight
2020-2021
Character:Nolan Price has been the EADA since the soft reboot began, working extensively withLaw & Order’s Sam Waterston before he left the series. He is passionate about justice and willing to risk losing a case rather than plead out when he believes the defendant deserves significant jail time. Price has often butted heads with new DA Nicholas Baxter over the way he runs the DA’s office and Baxter sees him as arrogant and entitled, while Price believes Baxter puts politics over justice when making charging decisions.
Odelya Halevi as ADA Samantha Maroun
Date of Birth: June 29, 2025
Actor:Odelya Halevi was born in Rosh HaAyin, Israel, andher first big role wasGood Trouble,where she was the original actress to play Angelica, Malika’s love interest.Halevi has guest starred in many shows, including a 2015 episode ofThe Bold And The Beautiful,an episode of theMacgayverreboot, and an episode ofNCIS. She also played Shiruta in the filmBlack Adam, which is about a wrathful Egyptian god who escapes imprisonment after being entombed for 5,000 years.
Black Adam
Character:Samantha Maroun is a young Assistant District Attorney who is especially passionate about cases involving women’s rights. Whie the actress who plays her is Israeli, Maroun is Lebanese, and her culture influences her decisions about cases. However, she is most affected by the trauma of her sister’s murder, as the killer was never caught and punished. She tends to be impulsive, partially because of this trauma, and often needs Price to rein her in when she’s upset about how a case is going.
Tony Goldwyn As District Attorney Nicholas Baxter
Date of Birth:July 30, 2025
Actor:Tony Goldwyn was born in Los Angeles, Californi, making his markin the 1990 filmGhost,where he played antagonist Carl Bruner.Goldwyn is one of the best-known actors onLaw & Order, with a career dating back to the early 1980s when he guest starred on an episode of the originalMatlockwith Andy Griffith. Goldwyn is best known for his roles as Fitzgerald Grant onScandaland Bob Lipka onHacks. He also played Gordon Gray in the critically acclaimed 2023 movieOppenheimer.
1990
2012-2018
2023
Hacks
Character:Nicholas Baxter followed in the footsteps of Sam Waterston’s Jack McCoy, which was a difficult task because of McCoy’s popularity and longevity. Baxter is more concerned with the department’s reputation than McCoy was, putting long-term goals such as demonstrating a commitment to justice over questions of winning any given case. However, he is often concerned about optics and relationships with judges inLaw & Order, which puts him in conflict with Nolan Price.
Law & Order
Cast
Law & Order is a procedural crime drama series that premiered in 1990, featuring New York City police detectives and prosecutors as they investigate and prosecute serious crimes. The show is known for its two-part approach, dividing between the crime-solving efforts of the detectives and the legal proceedings in court.
