Law & Order season 24 cast – who is returning and who is there?

law and order Fans will be relieved to see many of their favorite characters returning – but there will also be a new face in the group.

Maura Tierney joins the 27th District as Lieutenant Jessica Brady when Season 24 begins on Thursday, October 3 at 8/7 p.m NBC.

Brady takes over the job he previously held Lieutenant Kate Dixon (Camryn Manheim), who kept the detectives in this area on their toes for three seasons in the criminal justice drama.

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Brady makes her first appearance in the Season 24 premiere just as the dust is settling on District Attorney Nicholas Baxter's office (Tony Goldwyn) Election victorybut Baxter and Brady won't be the only members of the team working hard to bring criminals to justice.

Read on to find out more about who is returning and joining law and order Cast and what they're up to in season 24.

Maura Tierney as Lt. Jessica Brady

Lt. Jessica Brady may be new on the block, but she's loud law and order Showrunner Rick Eid, who also serves as As executive producer and writer of the series, she is already an experienced investigator with unparalleled detective skills.

“Unlike most lieutenants, I think she still thinks and acts like a detective and is more engaged in day-to-day life than most lieutenants – that is, she is active in interrogations and behaves almost like another detective rather than a superior said Eid NBC Insider.

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With an “almost photographic memory” and the ability to recognize small details such as “accents and tics,” Brady would be an asset in investigations, Eid added. But the reason for her uncanny abilities isn't explained – at least not at the beginning of the season.

“She kind of sees things that a lot of investigators and other people don't see, and we're not really revealing why yet – or who knows, maybe ever,” Eid said, also describing her as “results-oriented” and someone who ” does things his own way.”

For detectives Vincent Riley (Reid Scott) and Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks), who have a casual working relationship with their former boss, Lt. Dixon, Brady's entry into the scene will be a bit of a difficult adjustment.

“It's a little unsettling when a new boss comes in that they don't know, and they don't really like bosses,” Eid said. “Furthermore, the character Maura plays is not particularly warm and fuzzy and inviting.”

Tony Goldwyn as District Attorney Nicholas Baxter

The detectives at the 27th Precinct aren't the only characters trying to find a rhythm with their new boss. Season 23 of law and order There was a major shake-up in the Manhattan district attorney's office after longtime prosecutor Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) resigned from his position following a dramatic victory in the final courtroom.

Nicholas Baxter, a politically connected prosecutor played by Scandal'S Tony Goldwynwas named his successor, but things haven't exactly been smooth sailing for the new prosecutor.

There from the beginning there was palpable tension with Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy), who often felt like his new boss's decisions were politically motivated. The tension between the two men finally reaches a boiling point in Season 23, Episode 12, while working together on a criminal psychologist's difficult murder case.

RELATED: Will Tony Goldwyn's Prosecutor Nicholas Baxter Be Back on Law & Order for Season 24?

An emotional outburst cleared the air between the two men, but just as they agreed to a better working relationship, Baxter became the target of an assassination attempt in the season 23 finale. The shooter accidentally hit a famous baseball player at a charity event after Baxter got out of the way just in time. Ultimately, investigators identified the shooter as a loyal servant of a violent street gang who had a previous relationship with Baxter.

To ensure the shooter ended up behind bars, Baxter, already under pressure during a high-stakes election, used his own adult daughter Carrie (played by Goldwyn's). real daughter Tess Goldwyn) on the stand, although it a dark secret revealed about her past and brings him into conflict with his wife Julia. On the witness stand, Carrie admitted that she hit a man with her car after drinking while she was in college and that her father helped get the charge against her reduced to a misdemeanor. The admission threatened Baxter's political future and his marriage.

When Season 24 begins, Baxter will have won the election, Eid said NBC Insider, But the future of his marriage remains in limbo.

Hugh Dancy as Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price

Even though McCoy is no longer in office, Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price is determined to live up to the same high standards his former boss instilled in him during their years together.

McCoy's emotional farewell in Season 23 proved difficult for the veteran prosecutor, as he struggled to accept the more politically motivated Baxter as the new head of the DA's office. Subtle tensions arose between the two men for weeks until their explosive fight brought their problems to a head.

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Eid said Price and Baxter's relationship has become “a little more stable” in Season 24, but that doesn't mean there won't still be some growing pains.

“The character Nick Baxter is a little different than the character McCoy and the relationship between McCoy and Price is different than that between Baxter and Price,” Eid said NBC Insider. “I think Baxter is a bit more political, a bit more obscure, so you don’t always really know where he’s coming from, so from Price’s perspective it’s a bit more complicated.”

Odelya Halevi as Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun

As told by Odelya Halevi, who plays Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun NBC Insider During Season 23, Maroun's “power” is that she “brings empathy.”

But rather their ability to recognize the humanity of a suspect almost jeopardized her job in Season 23 after an emotionally charged case brought back memories of her own past.

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When a Ukrainian refugee – who saw her husband and young son die in a bombing of their Kiev home – killed a woman, her lawyer argued she was not guilty because past trauma had caused her to go insane be.

For Maroun, it brought back memories of her own parents' and grandparents' “residual” trauma after their escape from Lebanon during a civil war.

Maroun was assigned to cross-examine the suspect but threw a series of “softball” questions at the woman, according to Price, who called an emergency recess and accused her of “intentionally closing the case.”

Price told her to either “submit her resignation” or return to the courtroom and “find a way to address the situation.” In the end, Maroun put aside her own past and asked the difficult questions needed to secure a guilty verdict.

Mehcad Brooks as Detective Jalen Shaw

Homicide Detective Jalen Shaw, played by Mehcad Brooks, may have a tough exterior, but the experienced detective is also known for his ability to connect with others and de-escalate pressured situations with ease.

In season 23, he used his problem-solving skills as he adjusted to new partner, Detective Riley.

RELATED: District Attorney Baxter's dark family secret could cost him the election — and possibly his marriage

Brooks told NBC Insider shortly before the premiere of season 23 that “having a new partner is fantastic” and that the characters' relationship brought “a little more comedy” to the series.

“We are an odd couple, but at the same time we are so similar. We want the same things, but we come from such different worlds and different perspectives that it creates a lot of comedy and a nice conflict,” he said.

Season 24 will see Shaw adjusting again – this time to a new boss.

Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley

Detective Vincent Riley, played by Reid ScottHe was fresh off a suspension when he joined the 27th District in Season 23. Fans learned that the new detective had done this hit a police captain while defending Dixon's honor after the captain called it “something he shouldn't have.”

RELATED: Tony Goldwyn's Real-Life Daughter Tess Plays His Child in Law & Order's Season 23 Finale

At the time, Riley was struggling to care for his dying father and his imploding marriage and had been drinking alcohol at work. The punch earned him a six-month ban, but Dixon stayed in his corner and was determined to give him a second chance.

“I had to fight like hell to get him here. “I've taken advantage of every single favor I've had, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd just take it easy on him, OK?” Dixon once told Price. “He threw a punch at me, who does that?” And as stupid and reckless as it was, I appreciate what he did.”

Riley's partnership with Detective Jalen Shaw could play a role got off to a rocky startbut the two quickly developed a solid working relationship.

At the start of season 24, Eid said fans can look forward to meeting him Riley's brotherplayed by New Amsterdam'S Ryan Eggold.

This way you can always stay up to date with what's going on with your favorite law and order Characters, watch Season 24 on Thursdays at 8/7pm NBC or stream episodes the next day on Peacock.