Law & Order returns after a brief break that followed the ripped-from-the-headlines story about a murdered insurance CEO with an episode that puts Detective Riley in a rough position. The death of a young girl hits a little too close to home for the detective in the new installment on April 3, and Reid Scott opened up about his character being "triggered" and how this storyline in the 2025 TV schedule helps pay off on a promise from the writers.
The new episode airing on NBC on April 3 (and streaming next day with a Peacock subscription) is called "A Perfect Family," and Riley will have to work to piece together the final moments of a student's life before she was thrown to her death. Reid Scott spoke with CinemaBlend about how his character is about to go through the emotional wringer over the span of an hour, saying:
This episode is a tough one for Riley, because we've established it throughout his time at the 27 that he gets rather triggered when a case involves violence against women. He's also a father, so anytime there's a case involving a young person, that gets to him too. He gets doubly hit by this one, when the victim turns out to be a 12-year-old girl. Riley is the kind of guy who doesn't let his emotions bubble up too much. He works very hard to consciously keep them at bay, and this is one that I think we see it really affects him in a way that surprises him.
Being triggered by cases involving violence against women certainly makes for a character who fits in well in a world also include Law & Order: SVU, but viewers don't often see cases hit too close to home for him. Riley certainly felt it when Dixon departed, and his personal life intersected with the job earlier in Season 24 when his brother (played by New Amsterdam's Ryan Eggold) turned up. The situation in "A Perfect Family" puts pressure on him in a different way, as Reid Scott elaborated:
I really enjoyed exploring and playing with those themes, not only as an actor, but also as a father myself. I was able to call on some of my own experiences as a father, and layer those over some of the scenes that we had. I really enjoyed it, because not only are they wonderful scenes to work on, but anything that colors in the backstory and the personal side of our characters, I just find really, really interesting.
Law & Order is of course massively successful as a procedural, at more than 500 episodes and counting, but that doesn't mean episodes can't also dig into more serialized character-heavy storylines. According to Reid Scott, it's a treat for him when he gets the opportunity to delve into what drives his character. He shared:
That was actually something that I'd spoken to the writers and producers about before I even signed on. They made it clear that that was something that they wanted to play with a bit more, and I really jumped at the chance. This is a legendary show and all that, but the idea to nudge it in a new direction, which is not to say that we're reinventing the show, but we're just adding some colors to it.
Scott's comments track with what Mehcad Brooks, who plays Det. Shaw, previewed about Law & Order feeling "updated" in Season 24, and Hugh Dancy similarly got the chance to dig into Price's tragic history earlier this year. Riley is up next! The Veep alum continued:
To be a part of that movement within this franchise, I found really exciting. True to their word, we found a lot of opportunities in this season alone, starting off with when we met my brother's character, played by Ryan Eggold, and that really showed us a lot about Riley. And then throughout some other episodes, we've mentioned a lot of information about his backstory, his family life. But then in this episode, it really brought it home for me, because I got to work opposite a fantastic young guest star actress playing my daughter.
"A Perfect Family" will be Chapelwaite actress Justine Colan's first episode as Bridget Riley, and Reid Scott only had good things to say about her playing his character's daughter. He shared that having Riley's daughter is "put it in front of my face in a way that I really liked, because I got to see it," and went on:
She was just so wonderful to work with. Really had this great rapport. I got to crack my own dumb dad jokes to sort of break the ice and loosen things up a bit. But it was great because I got to explore a side of Riley that I don't get to explore. We don't see him be tender at all, because he doesn't really have the opportunity. Gentle, perhaps, with the family of the deceased, but that's more strategic and professional. But to see real, genuine tenderness is something that we have not seen. And I think this case in particular leads into that place where, despite his best efforts, that bubbles to the surface and it just ratifies what's important to him, which is his family.
The new episode will show a different side of Det. Riley than fans usually see each week, and what sounds like a difficult case for the character was a great experience for the actor. Check out the preview for what to expect:
Tune in to NBC on Thursday, April 3 at 8 p.m. ET for the "A Perfect Family" episode of Law & Order, ahead of Law & Order: SVU revisiting Carisi's traumatic experience at 9 p.m. ET. The two dramas are set for a crossover on April 17, which will be a very big night for the franchise, as the Season 5 premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime will air in its old 10 p.m. ET time slot after SVU. The rest of the season will exclusively stream on Peacock.
