Twelve years after its cancellation, NBC decided to revive it Law & Order After the success of its spinoff series. The show returned to the network in 2022, with familiar faces such as District Attorney Jack McCoy and Detective Kevin Bernard, portrayed by Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson. While Anderson decided to leave one year after the show's Homecoming, Waterston exited in season 23 alongside Camryn Manheim's lieutenant Kate Dixon.
Law & Order Season 24 premieres on Thursday, October 3, with new episodes airing weekly. Mehcad Brooks, who is among the new generation of characters, joined the series as Detective Jalen Shaw shortly after his return. The actor was previously known for his work on Supergirl, Necessary roughnessAnd true bloodand will reprise his role as Jax Wen Mortal Kombat 2 hits theaters in October 2025. Brooks expressed excitement about the new season of the police procedural, igniting tension and an "unpredictable camaraderie" with the arrival of Maura Tierney's lieutenant Jessica Brady.
Related
Screen Rant Interviewed Brooks about Law & Order Long-term successHow the characters are affected by McCoy and Dixon's absence, Shaw's partnership with Riley, and what to expect from Jax in Mortal Kombat 2.
Law and Order Season 24 will delve deeper into the characters
"You ask who solves the crimes, not only about the crimes, you know more about the victims."
Screen Rating: Law & Order Took a 12-year break but came back strong. Now that you've been a part of the series for a few seasons, what do you think makes it such a long-term success and allows it to remain relevant?
Mehcad Brooks: Let's break down the questions, if you will. What helps make it a long-term success is I think that it has its finger on the pulse of the nation and its finger on the pulse of the consciousness of the nation. Unfortunately, we have a very violent country and there is always something happening that affects people very deeply. And the crimes, getting into the who, what, when, where, what, and how is always intriguing the people, as you can see with the occurrence of true crime in the front of our consciousness. I think that, in some ways, Law & Order started this phenomenon.
It was brought into someone's house that you could get the aspects of the who, what, when, where, what, and how of crimes that you, finally, will never have so close to your person. My family dealt with a murder in our family, and just knowing that there are other people out there, knowing that they are going through this kind of thing, was, in its own sense, healing. I think the reason the show has lasted so long is because there is no shortage of truth in American violence, and the people who solve the crimes and the people who try the cases.
When we look at something and think, "Wow, this could happen to me," we want to know more about it. And how does it matter? I think that's a separate question because what we're doing now is we're really updating the show. We're definitely keeping the connective tissue of the original DNA and the bifurcated framework, but it feels much more personal. We're diving and delving way more into character this year. You can know who solves the crimes, not just about the crimes. You get to know more about the victims.
We see them alive for a little longer than we have seen them in the past, so we feel more connected to them. We learn what some of the cases cost, Shaw and Riley. Why do they care so much? We learn about their backstories and their childhoods and their families, which is something I never saw in the original Law & Orders. This is all in the writing. It has been updated to fit the television landscape today. I think people want to know more about the character they're watching, and that's how we do it. I think that's how we will stay relevant.
Shaw is better equipped to handle McCoy and Dixon's departure than Riley is in Law & Order Season 24
"You figure out how to make that work in the way that's the healthiest for everybody. I think Shaw is great at that, and he might be better equipped than Riley is for that."
Fans were disappointed to see Sam Waterston and Camryn Manheim exit the series. How would you say their absence will impact the characters going forward?
Mehcad Brooks: Change happens and evolution is necessary in every part of existence. That's just what it is. And I think that, to answer your question, I think Shaw is better at evolving than Riley is. I can't give too much away about it, but personally, as a person, I was sad to see Sam go. I was sad to see Camryn go. I love them both. I love working with them both. Working with both of them was one of the highlights of my career.
And as a character, Shaw was close with Lieutenant Dixon and didn't have a lot of answers about how to deal with Jessica Brady, who is Maura Tierney's character, because she definitely marches to the beat of her own drummer, and she handles things in A much different way, and that can cause some tension. There is also an interesting and unexpected camaraderie that happens as well. Just like all things, as you evolve and change, you figure out how to process. You figure out how to make this work in the way that is the healthiest for everyone. I think Shaw is great at this, and he may be better equipped than Riley is for this.
Shaw and Riley definitely have an interesting partnership. They don't always see eye to eye, so what can you tease about their dynamic in season 24?
Mehcad Brooks: We have dual perspectives on things for sure, but I think that's informed their relationship - it's like art imitates life in the way that Reed and I get along so well, and we're such good friends. He also says this - we have never met another person with whom we got along so well, so quickly. It has never happened in my life. It never happened in his life. We're like, "What the hell? This is great." And the fact that we get to see so much of each other really helps.
I think that informed the relationship and how they write for him. Shaw and Riley's relationship feels more like a buddy comedy, but then two guys who take their job very seriously and have to solve the most heinous crimes known to man and explore the darkest parts of the human psyche and human consciousness. Once again, there's that Law & Order traditional DNA there, but there's an updated twist that feels a little more like Bad Boys in New York, in a way.
Can we see Shaw on SVU Or organized crime When soon?
Mehcad Brooks: I would like that. I love playing in other sandboxes, and especially when you bring the same character, it feels a little easier, but I'm open to it. From your lips to the ears of Dick Wolf.
Brooks teases what's next for his character in Mortal Kombat 2
"You're going to see a lot more of Jax's personality, a lot more of his humor, a lot more of what he believes, and some really awesome fighting."
Would you like to revisit the superhero genre in James Gunn's DC Universe? Are there any other superhero roles you would like to play?
Mehcad Brooks: Oh my god. And there are multiverses, right? I've always been a big fan of Green Lantern. I think I would kill John Stewart. Green Lantern is the first that comes to mind for me. There are many superheroes in DC canon. And I also believe I play a superhero when it comes to Jax on Mortal Kombat. I think these guys are superheroes. We don't look at them like that because they are video game characters, but what are they?
If you are in this dimension, and they can die and come back, and they are super strong, and they are bionic, and they are this and that, and they shoot lasers - in any other world we would call these people superheroes and super Villains. I think that when Mortal Kombat comes out, you're going to see a different type of expansion of what we consider the superhero genre, because it feels like Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema's darker version of a Marvel movie.
Is it something you can laugh at Mortal Kombat 2 And what comes up for Jax?
Mehcad Brooks: Jax is in my DNA. love him I understand him. He is a great guy. And in this film, you're going to see a lot more of Jax's personality, a lot more of his humor, a lot more of what he believes, and some really, really awesome fighting. There are 27 fights in the movie, and we worked really hard to get it right.
We have an incredible team with producer Todd Garner and director Simon McQuoid and producer E. Bennett Walsh. We had one of the best stunt teams and fight teams and fight coordinators and fight choreographers in the business. It's just going to feel like something people haven't seen before, and I'm so proud to be a part of that.
About NBC's crime drama Law & Order
The pilot first aired on September 13, 1990.
Lives hang in the balance as detectives and prosecutors pursue justice in New York City. In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weigh the evidence and interrogate suspects until someone is taken in. Arrest. The District Attorney's Office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place—and keep the worst offenders off the Streets.
Check out the trailer for NBC Law & Order Franchise below:
Law & Order Season 24 premieres October 3 on NBC, with new episodes airing weekly.