It looks like Law & Order season 25 is going to have a massive break from tradition when it comes to the top cops. There will only be one!
Ever since the beginning, way back in 1990, the setup for Law & Order has been obvious: The first half of each episode has two detectives investigating a murder with their lieutenant overseeing them, and ending in arresting a suspect. The second thus focuses on the trial of the perpetrator.
Fans are long used to the revolving door of cast members, as it’s all too common for actors to depart in between seasons, and usually just an offhand comment on them being transferred or moving on. That’s likely coming in the Law & Order season 25 premiere, as Mehcad Brooks, who played Detective Jalen Shaw, has departed the show.
That should mean a new partner for Vincent Riley (Reid Scott). However, with just weeks before the show’s premiere, there hasn’t been any announcement of a new cast member. And it turns out there won’t be one for a while!
Why is there no new partner in Law & Order season 25?
Speaking to TVLine, showrunner Rick Eid confirmed that Shaw is gone when the series premieres, and “we touch on it in the first episode. You’ll know why he’s gone.”
It’s likely just a brief throwaway line of Shaw being transferred or maybe even quitting the NYPD (he was studying to be a lawyer before he became a cop). Law & Order doesn’t usually delve into such exits for long so Shaw won’t get more than that.
Eid added:
“These guys in real life bounce around, they partner up, people go, and, as we’ll explain, it’s not like Shaw’s off to Hong Kong or something. If they want to go get a beer [off-camera] some night, they can.”
This should lead to a new partner, but there won’t be one with Eid admitting “we haven’t cast it yet, to be honest.” This means it’s possible Riley will be working cases solo for a time or maybe with temporary partners as “tryouts.” There’s also more of Brady (Maura Tierney) working in the field, or maybe more for tech helper Violet Yee (Connie Shi).
This is a big shift as the show usually relies on the banter of the lead detectives and sometimes tension between them. Reid and Shaw butted heads a couple of times on cases, especially those involving race relations. Having Reid going solo would be trickier, turning it into more of him as a one-man show.
The show will also address the Law & Order season 24 cliffhanger of Price suspecting Maroun had a hand in the death of the man accused of killing her sister, with her job on the line. Brady also gets a spotlight with her family while Baxter is running for reelection.
It’s a big break from the formula to have just one main detective for Law & Order, although maybe it’s good that the showrunners are trying to find the right actor for the role. Either way, it makes for a new dynamic when the iconic series returns.
Law & Order season 25 premieres on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 8/7c on NBC.
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