The Big Picture
- Tony Goldwyn brings a new dynamic to
Law & Order
as DA Nicholas Baxter, focusing on broader political implications in decision-making. -
Law & Order
season 23 has seen major changes, including the departure of Detective Cosgrove and the introduction of Baxter as the new DA. - Goldwyn, familiar with the franchise, debuts as Baxter on March 14 – marking a shift in the beloved series’ long history of DAs.
Tony Goldwyn makes his debut as new district attorney Nicholas Baxter on this week’s Law & Order, replacing franchise stalwart Sam Waterston – and right away, viewers are going to know there’s a new man in charge. In a new interview with TVLine.com, Goldwyn talks about how Baxter differs from Waterston’s Jack McCoy, who departed the series this season. Says Goldwyn, “In my very first scene, I just walk into a murder scene, and Riley and Shaw are pretty startled by that because it’s very unusual for a DA to do that.” He goes on to explain that “whereas McCoy was very much, ‘The law is everything and the law tells us exactly what the decision needs to be,’ Nicholas Baxter is a guy who really takes in broader political implications of every decision. Baxter has a different vibe than McCoy, and I think it puts everyone on edge.”
This has been a season of change for Law & Order, which returned to the airwaves in 2022, over a decade after its original cancelation. This strike-shortened season, the series’ 23rd, also saw the departure of Detective Frank Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan); Donovan departed after the conclusion of season 22 following creative differences with the show’s producers. He was then replaced as the partner of Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) by Vincent Riley (Reid Scott). It also saw the resignation of Jack McCoy following a political standoff with New York City’s Mayor, necessitating the introduction of Baxter, a former US Attorney who has also had success in private practise.
Who Else Has Been the District Attorney on ‘Law & Order’?
In Law & Order‘s original 1990 pilot, the District Attorney was Alfred Wentworth, played by The Invaders star Roy Thinnes. However, when the show was picked up, Thinnes had already booked another TV series, so he was replaced by DA Adam Schiff, played by Mission: Impossible‘s Steven Hill. Hill was the last member of the show’s first-season cast to leave the show, staying on the series for ten seasons. After Hill retired from acting, the role was taken up by Dianne Wiest, who played progressive DA Nora Lewin for two seasons, then politician-turned actor Fred Dalton Thompson, who portrayed the conservative DA Arthur Branch for five seasons. Following Thompson’s return to politics, longtime Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy (Waterston) was promoted into the role, and continued in it through the show’s 2010 cancelation and its recent revival.
While this is his first time as a regular on the series, Tony Goldwyn is no stranger to the Law & Order franchise. He had a recurring role on Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Frank Goren, brother to Detective Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio). He also directed an episode of Law & Order, 2006’s “Thinking Makes It So”.
Tony Goldwyn’s Nicholas Baxter will debut as Law & Order‘s new district attorney on Thursday, March 14 at 8 PM EST on NBC. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Law and Order
A murder (usually adapted from current events), is tracked from two separate vantage points. The first half of the show follows an investigation of a crime by the police, the second half follows the prosecution of the same crime in court.
