Photograph of S. Epatha Merkerson and Benjamin Bratt from NBC

The Law & Order episode featuring the return—for one episode—of Detective Rey Curtis, played by Benjamin Bratt, has been bumped from tonight till next Friday, December 11. Instead, NBC will air A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa—a repeat of the special that premiered last year (which features Mayor Bloomberg!).

In the meantime, to tide L&O fans over, check out this interview Bratt gave about returning to the set for the first time in 9+ years. He also reveals a secret that Jerry Orbach taught him about memorizing the script:

And here's a more detailed plot for next week's episode:

As election day rapidly approaches, Detectives Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson) discover the disfigured remains of a man with the word "FED" written across his bare chest. Missing a crucial piece of evidence, the detectives decide to retrace the steps of the victim, a campaign volunteer, to hone in on the challenging investigation. After the victim's perplexing past emerges and the list of suspects multiplies, the detectives find themselves dealing with more than just dirty politics. S. Epatha Mekerson, Sam Waterston, Alana De La Garza and Linus Roache also star.