Believe it or not, Law & Order's run of new episodes is about to come to an end in the 2024 TV schedule with the fall finale on November 21. After the previous episode reminded viewers why Hudson University in a dangerous place in Dick Wolf's nine-show TV universe, the fall finale will revisit Lt. Jessica Brady's former precinct. In an exclusive clip (seen above), Riley still has his doubts about Brady as Lt. Kate Dixon's replacement, and receives some advice about getting her to open up from one of the cops who formerly worked under her.
In the clip, we get a glimpse of the "updated" humor that Mehcad Brooks had previewed ahead of Season 24, with Shaw bantering with Riley over eating beef sticks during a stakeout, but it wasn't all laughs in the car. A third cop, played by The Help's Mike Vogel, says that they "lucked out getting Brady transferred," but Riley will only commit that she "plays her cards pretty close to the vest." According to the man who'd worked with her before, "you're just not asking the right questions" if you're not getting answers from Brady. As for whether Riley will take that advice... well, we'll have to tune in and find out.
Riley and Shaw had adjusted well enough to Brady after getting some answers from Dixon earlier in Season 24, with episodes you can stream with a Peacock subscription. The case of the fall finale – called "Bad Apple" – is evidently one that hits close to home for Brady, though, as NBC's episode description previews:
A narcotics officer is shot in the back as Brady returns to her old precinct to investigate the murder. When the suspect’s story doesn’t add up, she enlists Shaw and Riley to discover the truth.
It should be interesting to see how well Shaw and Riley work with the two cops they joined forces with for the stakeout. Other than Riley not bending on his opinion of beef sticks, the four men seem to be getting along well enough, but it's hard to judge a whole episode based on one clip. On the whole, the biggest unknown is whether Shaw and Riley can truly get Brady to open up by asking the right questions. We can safely say that there was no such problem behind the scenes, as one star shared how Maura Tierney immediately fit in with the Law & Order cast.
Find out what Law & Order has in store for the last episode of the year before returning in the 2025 TV schedule with the fall finale on Thursday, November 21 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. As usual, the hit drama leads into Law & Order: SVU at 9 p.m. ET, and the spinoff's fall finale is bringing back Kelli Giddish for the second time this season as Carisi winds up in a hostage situation. You can revisit episodes of both shows streaming over winter hiatus via Peacock, and look forward to the winter premieres on Thursday, January 16.
