NBC’s Law & Order Thursdays have returned with new episodes airing in the 2025 TV schedule and streaming next day with a Peacock subscription, and the franchise reaches two notable milestones this fall. Not only is this year the 35th anniversary of the franchise as a whole, but September also marked the 25th anniversary of the original Law & Order pilot. Tony Goldwyn, who plays DA Baxter, opened up to CinemaBlend about still feeling like “the new kid” in his third season despite his many years of network TV experience, including Scandal.
Even before the Season 25 premiere that included an unceremonious cast change, the Law & Order franchise was honored at the Emmys with stars from all three current shows. Goldwyn was among them to represent the OG show, alongside former L&O cast member (and current Chicago Med star) S. Epatha Merkerson, SVU’s Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T, and Organized Crime’s Christopher Meloni.
When I spoke with Goldwyn during NBC’s Law & Order press junket, he shared what it was like for him to take the stage with his fellow franchise stars, saying:
It was great. I mean, I was the new kid basically because it's Mariska [Hargitay] and Ice-T and Chris [Meloni]. So it was thrilling. Law & Order really holds a significant place in our culture, and especially if you're in New York City. It's a great thing to be a part of, and it was wonderful to be there and to present the Best Drama Emmy.
On most shows, a cast member being three seasons in wouldn’t make them the “new kid.” With Law & Order, however, Goldwyn was on stage with Mariska Hargitay ahead of her 27th season of SVU, Ice-T ahead of his 26th season of SVU, Christopher Meloni with twelve seasons of SVU and five of Organized Crime, and S. Epatha Merkerson after seventeen seasons of Law & Order’s original run. Among those stars, it’s no wonder that the Scandal vet felt like the newbie!
That said, Tony Goldwyn isn’t the newest member of the Law & Order cast. Maura Tierney joined in Season 24 to fill the vacancy left by Camryn Manheim’s Lt. Kate Dixon, and another new cast member is on the way to replace Mehcad Brooks’ Detective Jalen Shaw. The show also isn’t necessarily going to be as strictly procedural this season as in years past. Having worked on the serialized Scandal for seven seasons and more than 100 episodes, Goldwyn weighed in on the potential of ongoing stories on Law & Order:
There's more of that that people can look forward to, whether it's family members of ours getting ingrained in the story, or outside relationships we have that muddy up the work environment, or as we said, our personal [lives] and the tensions between us as people.
It remains to be seen when Law & Order will dig further into Baxter’s character beyond his work as DA, but the next episode shifts the focus over to ADA Nolan Price, played by Hannibal alum Hugh Dancy. The show has more often focused on Nolan’s complicated past than on his romantic future, but that’s about the change, judging by the promo. Take a look:
The next new episode of Law & Order Season 25 will air on Thursday, October 2 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, ahead of Law & Order: SVU following the unexpected premiere death at 9 p.m. ET and Law & Order: Organized Crime at 10 p.m. ET. You can revisit earlier episodes of all three streaming on Peacock now as well.
