Law & Order season 10

The tenth season of Law & Order premiered on NBC, September 22, 1999 alongside Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and ended May 24, 2000. Executive Producers René Balcer and Ed Sherin both left the show at the end of the season. This is the final season to feature Steven Hill as Adam Schiff, who was the last original cast member.

Law & Order
Season 10
Season 10 U.S. DVD cover
No. of episodes	24
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 22, 1999 (1999-09-22) – May 24, 2000 (2000-05-24)
Season chronology
List of episodes

Cast

This is the first season to feature Ed Green (played by Jesse L. Martin) who replaced seasons 6–9's Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) in the role of junior detective. This season marked the first Law & Order spinoff, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Law & Order: SVU), which features Dann Florek reprising his role of Captain Donald Cragen from the first three seasons of Law & Order. Florek/Cragen appears in both parts of a two-part crossover between the two shows this season, and four other Law & Order: SVU characters appear in episodes of the original series over this season. Steven Hill, who played Adam Schiff, left the series at the end of the 10th season.

Main cast

• Jerry Orbach as Senior Detective Lennie Briscoe
• Jesse L. Martin as Junior Detective Ed Green
• S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
• Sam Waterston as Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy
• Angie Harmon as Assistant District Attorney Abbie Carmichael
• Steven Hill as District Attorney Adam Schiff

Recurring cast

• Dann Florek as Captain Don Cragen
• Carey Lowell as Defense Attorney Jamie Ross
• Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
• J. K. Simmons as Dr. Emil Skoda

Crossover Stars from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

• Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
• Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
• Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch
• Michelle Hurd as Detective Monique Jeffries
• Dann Florek as Captain Don Cragen

Departure of Steven Hill

Steven Hill, who played Adam Schiff, was the last first-season member to leave the series; he left at the end of this 10th season and was replaced by Dianne Wiest.

Episodes

See also: List of Law & Order episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
206	1	"Gunshow"	Ed Sherin	René Balcer	September 22, 1999 (1999-09-22)	E1106	18.63[1]
A murderer's shooting spree of female medical school students in Central Park prompts Briscoe and his new partner, Detective Ed Green, to trace the murder weapon's origin; McCoy makes it his mission to punish both the killer and the gun manufacturer. First appearance of Jesse L. Martin as Det. Ed Green Based on the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre[2]
207	2	"Killerz"	Constantine Makris	Richard Sweren	September 29, 1999 (1999-09-29)	E1103	18.66[3]
Briscoe and Green believe a 10-year-old is responsible for a child's death, and McCoy wants her isolated to stop any future fatalities. Guest stars Hallee Hirsh as the young sociopathic killer
208	3	"DNR"	David Platt	S : William N. Fordes; T : Kathy McCormick	October 6, 1999 (1999-10-06)	E1109	17.90[4]
As Briscoe and Green investigate the shooting of Denise Grobman a judge, suspicion quickly points to her husband Walter as the person who ordered the hit, but McCoy's case is hindered when she refuses to implicate her husband during the trial. Served as the basis for the Law & Order: UK series 4 episode "Denial"
209	4	"Merger"	Stephen Wertimer	Lynn Mamet	October 13, 1999 (1999-10-13)	E1101	16.84[5]
The murder of Christie Garrison a drug-laden teen presents Briscoe and Green with a host of suspects from her wealthy family.
210	5	"Justice"	Matthew Penn	S : William N. Fordes; S/T : Gerry Conway	November 10, 1999 (1999-11-10)	E1104	17.70[6]
After the murder of Martin Felder a lawyer, McCoy finds himself on the opposite side of the courtroom from his former colleague, Jamie Ross, when she defends a man who claims to have key evidence that could put to death a man McCoy believes was wrongly convicted.
211	6	"Marathon"	Jace Alexander	Richard Sweren & Matt Witten	November 17, 1999 (1999-11-17)	E1105	17.69[7]
A frustrating investigation of Eva Harrison a purse-snatching victim who was fatally shot leads to tension between Briscoe and Green over age and racial innuendos. Briscoe notices his partner has developed a dangerous habit.
212	7	"Patsy"	David Platt	René Balcer & Lynne E. Litt	November 24, 1999 (1999-11-24)	E1102	17.64[8]
The investigation that follows the discovery of Cecilia Knowles a comatose woman in her apartment leads to an unusual case involving murder and a possible frame-up, despite the prosecution having key DNA evidence to the contrary.
213	8	"Blood Money"	Matthew Penn	Barry Schindel	December 1, 1999 (1999-12-01)	E1111	15.24[9]
A taxi driver finds that his passenger Peter Grimaldi is dead, leading the detectives to a case involving an insurance scam and Holocaust victims.
214	9	"Sundown"	Jace Alexander	S : William N. Fordes; S/T : Krista Vernoff	December 15, 1999 (1999-12-15)	E1107	19.29[10]
A patient Marjorie Hallenbeck is found beaten to death in a hospital lounge — and the resulting case involves infidelity, Alzheimer's disease, and a ladies' man.
215	10	"Loco Parentis"	Constantine Makris	Richard Sweren & Matt Witten	January 5, 2000 (2000-01-05)	E1115	18.28[11]
After sanitation workers find a teenage boy's body, the investigation leads to a school bully who displays an avid interest in martial-arts weapons, and whose father bought the murder weapon.
216	11	"Collision"	David Platt	S : William N. Fordes; S/T : Gerry Conway	January 26, 2000 (2000-01-26)	E1116	18.13[12]
The investigation of the death of Karen Brewster, a schizophrenic woman, leads to a case involving Harvey Bauer, a homeless man, and his right to refuse medication.
217	12	"Mother's Milk"	Richard Dobbs	Lynn Mamet & Barry Schindel	February 9, 2000 (2000-02-09)	E1110	18.38[13]
Bloodstains in an apartment that belonged to Amy and James Beltran a young couple with a baby leads to the separated parents, each of whom claims that the other has the infant. The baby is later found dead.
218	13	"Panic"	Constantine Makris	S : Kathy McCormick & Matt Witten; T : William N. Fordes & Lynn Mamet	February 16, 2000 (2000-02-16)	E1117	17.92[14]
Briscoe and Green investigate the shooting of Carolyn Tyler a best-selling mystery writer and the death of her accountant, with a love triangle involving the author's consulting FBI agent (Tom Berenger) as a possible motive for the crime.
219	14	"Entitled"	Ed Sherin	S : Dick Wolf, René Balcer & Robert Palm; T : Richard Sweren	February 18, 2000 (2000-02-18)	E1112	18.92[14]
The focus of the case previously investigated in "Mayhem" (1994) returns to a politically-influential family; during the course of the trial, McCoy finds the powerful matriarch to be a formidable opponent. This is part two of a two-part episode that begins on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Guest stars Richard Belzer as John Munch; Dann Florek as Donald Cragen; Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson; Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler
220	15	"Fools for Love"	Christopher Misiano	Kathy McCormick & Lynne E. Litt	February 23, 2000 (2000-02-23)	E1113	15.11[15]
After the bodies of two teens Jane Kendrick and Annika Ohlman are found, the detectives trace their identities and learn that one of them had a sister who was traveling with the girls. Guest stars: Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson and Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler. Ellen Pompeo also guest stars. Note: Inspired by Karla Homolka, who helped rape and murder her sister and two other young girls.[16]
221	16	"Trade This"	Jace Alexander	S : René Balcer; S/T : Barry Schindel	March 1, 2000 (2000-03-01)	E1118	18.32[17]
The murder of Sean Alvarez a stockbroker points to a coworker and supervisor (Michael Gross) involved with organized crime when a hired hit man kills the prime suspect.
222	17	"Black, White and Blue"	Constantine Makris	S : Richard Sweren; T : Matt Witten; S/T : Lynne E. Litt	March 22, 2000 (2000-03-22)	E1120	18.67[18]
The murder of Michael Tobin a young white man in Harlem sparks outrage when it is discovered that two police officers Smith and Flannery intentionally dropped him off in a known crime prone neighborhood.
223	18	"Mega"	David Platt	Lynn Mamet & William N. Fordes	April 5, 2000 (2000-04-05)	E1121	17.99[19]
The investigation into a helicopter bombing points to a victim's wife and her unconventional financial adviser (Michael McKean).
224	19	"Surrender Dorothy"	Martha Mitchell	Barry Schindel & Matt Witten	April 26, 2000 (2000-04-26)	E1125	18.46[20]
The body of Dorothy Graham a teacher, suspected of having an affair, is found in a car trunk and the investigation involves her husband and father-in-law, both of whom are psychiatrists.
225	20	"Untitled"	Jace Alexander	S : Richard Sweren; S/T : Barry M. Schkolnick	May 3, 2000 (2000-05-03)	E1124	16.42[21]
A wealthy woman Lucy Young, a patron of the arts, is found dead in her apartment and the ensuing investigation leads to a suspect whose violence was spurred by a painting similar to the crime scene.
226	21	"Narcosis"	Constantine Makris	Kathy McCormick & Lynne E. Litt	May 10, 2000 (2000-05-10)	E1123	18.64[22]
The discovery of Lorraine Shelby a strangled prostitute's body leads to a case involving illegal immigrants and a family grappling with internet addiction.
227	22	"High & Low"	Richard Dobbs	S : William N. Fordes; S/T : Gerry Conway	May 17, 2000 (2000-05-17)	E1122	17.49[23]
Detectives Briscoe and Green probe the strangulation of Leslie Cavanaugh, a college student who moonlighted as a stripper, and while they believe a pair of drug-dealing skinheads committed the murder, they struggle to determine the motive of the strip club owner who paid them for the hit. However, as they work their way up the ladder of complicity, the cops learn that the slaying is keyed to an insider trading scam that forces McCoy to connect a former porn star with a businessman.
228	23	"Stiff"	Jace Alexander	S : René Balcer; S/T : Hall Powell	May 24, 2000 (2000-05-24)	E1119	15.12[24]
The detectives' investigation into why a wealthy woman is comatose involves her husband, daughter, and doctor (John Slattery).
229	24	"Vaya Con Dios"	Christopher Misiano	René Balcer & Richard Sweren	May 24, 2000 (2000-05-24)	E1108	19.48[24]
The death of an elderly man trying to find who was responsible for the torture-killing of his son in Chile in 1973 leads to a former high-ranking Chilean Army officer who is in New York receiving cancer treatments at a Manhattan hospital. Last appearance of Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff.

Notes

• Jesse L. Martin joins the cast as Det. Ed Green in this season.
• This is the final season to feature Steven Hill as Adam Schiff. Hill was the last original cast member to leave the series.
• The Law & Order spinoff, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, debuted at the time of this season.
• This season features all five of the series' longest serving characters: Anita Van Buren (17 seasons), Jack McCoy (16 seasons), Lennie Briscoe (12 seasons), Adam Schiff (10 seasons) and Ed Green (9 seasons). Additionally, one member of the original cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Mariska Hargitay), who remains on the show to date, appears in the episode 'Entitled.' Christopher Meloni departed SVU in 2011, Richard Belzer in 2013, and Dann Florek in 2014.
• "Entitled," episode 219, is a continuation of an SVU episode of the same name.
• Adrienne Shelly guest-starred in the episode of 'Law & Order titled "High & Low" Season 10 in which she portrayed the character Wendy Alston. Shelly herself would later be murdered, which inspired the episode 'Melting Pot' Season 17.

References

1. "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 20–26)". The Los Angeles Times. September 29, 1999. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Rogers, Abby (March 21, 2012). "15 True Stories That Inspired Your Favorite 'Law & Order' Episodes". Business Insider. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
3. "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 27–Oct. 3)". The Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1999. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 4-10)". The Los Angeles Times. October 13, 1999. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Prime-Time TV Rankings". The Los Angeles Times. October 20, 1999. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
6. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 8-14)". The Los Angeles Times. November 17, 1999. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Clipped from the Los Angeles Times". The Los Angeles Times. November 24, 1999. p. 178.
8. "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 22-28)". The Los Angeles Times. December 1, 1999. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Dateline: Week Of December 8, 1999 In News, Pop Culture, Tech, Celebrity, Entertainment & Fascinating Facts". Mr. Pop Culture. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
10. "Clipped from the Los Angeles Times". The Los Angeles Times. December 22, 1999. p. 103.
11. "Dateline: Week Of January 8, 2000 In News, Pop Culture, Tech, Celebrity, Entertainment & Fascinating Facts". Mr. Pop Culture. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
12. "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 24-30)". The Los Angeles Times. February 2, 2000. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Dateline: Week Of February 15, 2000 In News, Pop, Celebrity, Entertainment, Music, Tech & Fascinating Facts". Mr. Pop Culture. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
14. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 14-20)". The Los Angeles Times. February 24, 2000. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 21-27)". The Los Angeles Times. March 1, 2000. Retrieved January 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Bernardo murders inspire Law & Order episode". CBC News. November 10, 1999. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
17. "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 28-March 5)". The Los Angeles Times. March 8, 2000. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Dateline: Week Of March 22, 2000 In News, Pop, Celebrity, Entertainment, Music, Tech & Fascinating Facts". Mr. Pop Culture. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
19. "Dateline: Week Of April 8, 2000 In News, Pop Culture, Tech, Celebrity, Entertainment & Fascinating Facts". Mr. Pop Culture. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
20. "National Nielsen Viewership (April 24–30)". The Los Angeles Times. May 3, 2000. Retrieved January 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Top 20 Network Primetime Report". Zap2it. Archived from the original on August 19, 2000. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
22. "Top 20 Network Primetime Report". Zap2it. Archived from the original on August 19, 2000. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
23. "National Nielsen Viewership (May 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times. May 24, 2000. Retrieved January 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
24. "Top 20 Network Primetime Report". Zap2it. Archived from the original on August 16, 2001. Retrieved October 13, 2018.

External links

• Episode guide from NBC.com

Preceded by Season Nine (1998-1999)

List of Law & Order seasons (1990-2010)

Succeeded by Season Eleven (2000-2001)