Law & Order

The father of a molested child shoots the convicted molester on a live, TV tabloid talk show. It is soon revealed that the sleazy TV host tipped off the violent father prior to the show, hoping to incite a confrontation and drive up ratings. Melissa Leo (Homicide: Life on the Street) guest stars.

Is a bloodied and bruised homeless man a victim of the streets - or the residents? Detectives discover a large amount of cash in the victim's pocket, which rules out robbery as a motive. Upon questioning locals, they learn of a neighborhood watch group called The Block Association who say they only wanted the transient committed to a hospital, not dead. It is soon revealed that the homeless man had mugged a local resident moments before he himself was attacked - which points the case in a new direction.

A college coed accuses a famous heavy metal rock star of rape, but the charges are shrugged off as a rejected groupie's revenge. Further investigation however, uncovers the rock star's sexually violent past and Lieutenant Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) reopens the case.

A racially integrated neighborhood is targeted by a serial killer, leaving Detectives Briscoe and Logan a short amount of time to stop the killings before another victim is claimed. They zero in on a racial supremacist, who in turn hires a celebrated civil rights defense attorney (Oscar nominee and Emmy winner, James Earl Jones).

Did a bitter, greedy wife kill her wealthy philandering husband? Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth) suspect foul play and everyone from the wife to the mistress to the maid is pointing fingers.

The issue of parent abuse is examined in this unusual story about a gifted student who felt embarrassed and confined by his lower-class family - which led to his father's death. Plus, threats among the rest of the family keep everyone from testifying. Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) guest stars.

An explosion inside the garage of a Wall Street banking complex leaves one person dead and leads Detectives Briscoe and Logan to the Egyptian embassy. The sole victim of the explosion was the one planting the bomb, but was she acting on behalf of a religious cult? Sam Robards (American Beauty) guest stars.

At a Manhattan construction site a decomposed body is unearthed wearing a tattered blue blazer with gold buttons. Detectives use the jacket to reveal the dead man's identity and occupation - as a real estate agent - but can ADAs Stone (Michael Moriarity) and Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) help them nail down a suspect?

When a foster child kills his "brother," the detectives and the District Attorneys get embroiled in an argument over whether some kids are genetically predestined to kill. If so, can this foster child be held accountable for his actions?

After the owner of a successful meat company is found butchered in his office, detectives suspect his Russian "mail order bride." In court, defense attorneys try to discredit witnesses on the grounds of cross-racial misidentification.

A well-intentioned granddaughter is blamed for starving her grandmother to death, but she claims it was "doctor's orders." Detectives soon discover that the granddaughter not only inherited her grandmother's apartment but also a large sum of money for her law school tuition.

The son of a wealthy businessman is charged with master-minding his own kidnapping in order to collect the five million dollar ransom from his father. When the kidnap "victim's" accomplices turn on him, he admits to the scam, then flees the city.

A woman found unconscious and bleeding in a crowded ER claims her last memory is of being pregnant and in the back of a taxi. Detectives work to determine whether or not her claims are true and if not, why she is lying. But the real mystery becomes finding the missing baby.

Detectives help thwart a blackmail attempt and find that a respected judge is to blame. Later in the investiagtion, ADA Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) is accused of trumping up charges against the judge in retaliation for him rejecting her sexual advances when she served as his clerk - an accusation which results in a Censure for Kincaid. Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) and Enrico Colantoni (Just Shoot Me) guest stars.

A fourteen-year-old boy accidentally killed during a drive-by shooting motivates detectives to track down the killer. Tracing the weapon through various sources, detectives and Van Buren arrest the son of a former cop - which sets off a chain of deadly results.

A mail bomb that killed the wife of a nuclear physicist leads detectives to question the stability of the marriage. Forensics experts help Briscoe and Logan name a suspect, but Stone and Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) uncover a motive that no one suspected. Vincent Pastore (The Sopranos) guest stars.

Five different homicides on the same day have Briscoe and Logan searching the city for killers. Chances are... one will remain unsolved. Robin Tunney (The Craft) and Bruklin Harris (UC: Undercover) guest stars.

After the father of a prominent baseball player is found dead, Briscoe and Logan suspect his death is linked to gambling debts. However, all bets are off when the victim's son's alibi doesn't hold up.

Racial tensions reach dangerously high levels after the fatal hit and run of a twelve-year-old. Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) is soon in the hot seat as locals question the amount of attention (or lack thereof) that the case is receiving.

When a ten-year-old girl is reported missing by her schoolmate, Briscoe and Logan embark on an investigation that uncovers a sad reality: removed from the custody of her alcoholic natural mother, children's services negligently placed her with a foster mother who treated the child as a slave. The physical abuse that the girl suffered at the hands of her foster mother's boyfriend did not prompt children services to remove her from the situation. The trail ultimately leads the detectives to the girl's former teacher, a wealthy, eccentric woman who, after the devastating loss of her own child, has sought to fill the void by becoming the savior of misfortunate children. In her effort to rescue the girl from the system, the teacher hid the child in a secret room in her basement, where she provided love, attention, and a stable home.

In a "ripped from the headlines" episode, an attack on a pro tennis player leads detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth) to a crazed fan. Further questionning reveals an interesting twist - that the attacker wasn't the crazed fan, but a rival player working under instructions from the victim herself. John Heard (Home Alone) guest stars.

A businessman pushed off a crowded curb into the path of a speeding truck is killed instantly in front of many witnesses. Detectives soon learn it was no accident, but a professional hit ordered by the man's business partner - who has ties to the Russian Mob. Allison Janey (The West Wing) guest stars.