This might be the first time a British actor has played a Law & Order regular: Linus Roache will be playing the new Executive District Attorney. (Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy is getting a promotion to DA, since Fred Thompson has left the show to pursue a presidential campaign.) We foresee sexual tension between his character and Alana de la Garza's Connie Rubirosa! Is it a coincidence that Roache is the second star from short-lived NBC show Kidnapped to join the L&O cast - Jeremy Sisto is the new detective, accompanying Jesse L. Martin. Martin is only signed on for about half the season, so there may yet another cast change. Wolf said that he wants to attract a younger demographic and teased some of what Jack McCoy may face. From the Daily News:
Sam is not going to be the pragmatist the elected politicians have been. He's also going to be someone who goes through changes in his own attitude because he is doing a different job, and a lot of it is going to be fascinating because we talked openly about what happens to men of a certain age and a certain stature when the next generation comes in. There's a lot to play here.
Maybe McCoy can tangle with community boards - Waterston testified at a community board hearing about naming a street after Jerry Orbach in March!
If Thompson really does run for president, NBC won't air any reruns with him as DA Arthur Branch, because of equal-time rules.
Other L&O news: Alicia Witt will be playing a detective on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which has moved to USA. Julianne Nicholson, who has played Chris Noth's partner, is going on maternity leave for part of the season.
