LAW & ORDER’s Rick Eid: Mehcad Brooks’ Detective Shaw ‘Brings a Different Perspective to Law Enforcement’

There’s a new detective on the case when LAW & ORDER returns for its 22nd season on Thursday, September 22.

But when viewers meet Mehcad Brooks‘ Detective Jalen Shaw—who is replacing Anthony Anderson’s Detective Bernard on the squad, and will make his debut in the massive LAW & ORDER franchise crossover—they’ll learn his character technically has a tie to both of the show’s worlds.

“He’s a former lawyer,” LAW & ORDER showrunner Rick Eid tells Give Me My Remote. “And he is a former narcotics detective, who is new to homicide…he probably went to NYU [for] law school, got a job at a law firm in the city. And after a year or two of being disillusioned, he was like, ‘I want to do something that excites me.’ [So then] he went to the police academy.”

And while Shaw doesn’t have any history with any of the L&O characters from his time practicing law, his history will impact how he approaches his new job—and his newfound partnership with Detective Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan).

“He brings a different perspective to law enforcement, and certainly to being a police officer, a detective,” Eid previews. “And he’s got a modern point of view on a lot of things. So I think he’s an interesting partner for Cosgrove, as well. He’s younger, different point of view, sees the world a little differently; different upbringing.”

“[His past as a lawyer] more informs the way he thinks—he’s a really smart, intellectual guy,” he continues. “So he comes at things a little from a more cerebral perspective; Cosgrove’s a little more sort of visceral and instinctive and I think Shaw’s a little more cerebral…But they have a common objective: they’re both dedicated to finding that [bad] guy.”

LAW & ORDER, Season Premiere, Thursday, September 22, NBC

RELATED:

• Behind-the-Scenes Photos and Videos from the LAW & ORDER Franchise Crossover
• NBC Confirms LAW & ORDER Crossover Event With New Promo
• LAW & ORDER Adds Claire Coffee
• 6 Dream LAW & ORDER Franchise Crossover Pairings
• NBC Eyes LAW & ORDER-SVU-ORGANIZED CRIME Crossover Event
• LAW & ORDER: SUPERGIRL Vet Mehcad Brooks Joins Season 22
• LAW & ORDER: Sam Waterston to Return for Season 22
• LAW & ORDER: Anthony Anderson Exits Ahead of Season 22
• LAW & ORDER: ‘Black and Blue’ Photos
• LAW & ORDER: Rick Eid on Recruiting Eriq La Salle to Direct the Season 21 Finale, and His Season 22 Hopes
• LAW & ORDER: Rick Eid Teases a Personal Case for Price and His Evolving Partnership with Maroun
• LAW & ORDER: ‘The Great Pretender’ Photos
• LAW & ORDER: Rick Eid Teases Price and McCoy Tension in ‘Severance’
• LAW & ORDER Recruits SVU’s Mariska Hargitay and Terry Serpico for Season Finale
• LAW & ORDER Exclusive Clip: Lt. Dixon’s Coffee Run Gets Disrupted By a Couple of Punks
• The LAW & ORDER Premiere Brought Back a Familiar ADA
• LAW & ORDER: What You Need to Know About the Premiere
• LAW & ORDER Press Day Photos
• LAW & ORDER at TCA: Live-Blog
• LAW & ORDER Premiere: ‘The Right Thing’ Photos
• NBC Expands LAW & ORDER Season 21 Premiere
• Jesse L. Martin Teases Possible Return to LAW & ORDER: ‘I Certainly Hope So’
• LAW & ORDER: McCoy Warns ‘It’s Okay to Play the Hero—As Long as You Win’ in New Promo
• Jeremy Sisto Has an Idea for a LAW & ORDER and FBI Crossover
• LAW & ORDER: Sam Waterston Officially Signs on for Season 21
• LAW & ORDER: See the First Photos of Anthony Anderson and Jeffrey Donovan Filming Season 21
• LAW & ORDER Adds Anthony Anderson, Hugh Dancy
• NBC Boss Teases Potential LAW & ORDER and ONE CHICAGO Crossovers
• LAW & ORDER Adds Jeffrey Donovan

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links/ads placed on the site.