Law & Order returned for its 24th season last week, but it did so without another of last season’s cast members, Camryn Manheim’s Lieutenant Kate Dixon. Then again, it’s not unusual for cast members to leave Law & Order, although the frequency since the series returned in 2021 seems higher than usual, especially for a show where actors like Sam Waterston, Jerry Orbach, Steven Hill, and Jesse L. Martin remained for 10, 20, or even more seasons in Waterston’s case.
Since 2021, Tony Goldwyn has replaced Waterston, Mehcad Brooks replaced Anthony Anderson, and Reid Scott replaced Jeffrey Donovan. Hugh Dancy and Odelya Halevi are now the only remaining cast members from the 2021 reboot season, with Manheim also having left.
Manheim has been replaced by Maura Tierney, who plays Lt. Jessica Brady. In her debut, she made a strong impression, appearing at the crime scene and bossing around Detectives Shaw and Riley a bit more than they might have liked.
It was a significant case, however. A fellow district attorney was murdered by an abusive boyfriend, and as Law & Order has done more often in recent seasons, the case was personal for one of the characters—Odelya Halevi’s ADA Samantha Maroun. Having lost her sister to abuse, Maroun was so angered by how the case unfolded that she nearly wrecked her career in pursuit of justice.
Meanwhile, Tierney’s Jessica Brady rubbed Detective Riley the wrong way. He felt that Brady had somehow pushed Lt. Dixon aside, and due to his affection for Dixon, he wasn’t comfortable taking orders from Brady. However, in typical Law & Order fashion, the matter was quickly resolved when Riley received a text from Dixon mid-episode, explaining her absence.
“Patrick got a great job at a school in Miami. Mom is tagging along. Didn’t want to make a big to-do about it. Tears and all that. Come visit.”
“Talk about the old Irish goodbye,” Reid says in response.
And that will probably be the last mention of Dixon’s name in the series. No goodbye episode for Manheim—just a “see ya” text. How very Law & Order.
