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Law & Order is looking to the stars to fill its latest vacancy.
The NBC procedural is adding Star Trek: Discovery alum David Ajala to its cast, as an NYPD detective who will work alongside Reid Scott’s Det. Vincent Riley. Ajala is stepping into the show as a series regular, but won’t make his appearance until partway through the upcoming 25th season.
The addition of Ajala comes two months after Mehcad Brooks, who spent three seasons as Det. Jalen Shaw, announced his departure from the series. Entertainment Weekly has learned that Law & Order will bridge the gap between Brooks’ exit and Ajala’s entry with an unusual move for the procedural: Scott’s senior detective will operate without a partner.
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Usually, Law & Order features two lead detectives investigating homicides, but until Ajala’s character enters the equation, Det. Riley will be calling the shots. Luckily, he won’t be entirely alone.
The rest of the Law & Order task force — including Tony Goldwyn, Hugh Dancy, Odelya Halevi, and Maura Tierney — are set to return for the new season. How the story will account for the cast shakeup remains to be seen: when season 24 wrapped up, it ended with no indications of an exit for Shaw.
Ajala is best known for spending three seasons as Kwejian Cleveland Booker on Star Trek: Discovery. Prior to that, he starred as ruthless vigilante Manchester Black in The CW’s Supergirl. He is also known for roles on The Jetty, Nightflyers, and Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue. Ajala will next be seen in Netflix’s The Woman in Cabin 10.
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Ahead of its milestone season, Law & Order was honored with a tribute at the 77th annual Emmy Awards earlier this month, which saw several stars of the franchise celebrate the show onstage. Goldwyn, Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T, S. and Epatha Merkerson joined forces to represent three branches of the expansive franchise family tree.
Law and Order originally debuted on NBC in 1990 and ran for 20 seasons until 2010. NBC then revived the series in 2022 for a 21st season. The show has spawned multiple spinoffs, including current series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Law & Order season 25 premieres to NBC on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Peacock.
