Law & Order (season 3)


The third season of Law & Order aired on NBC between September 23, 1992, and May 19, 1993. This season marked the introduction of Jerry Orbach as Lennie Briscoe, who replaced Paul Sorvino after "Prince of Darkness.". At the end of the season, both Dann Florek and Richard Brooks departed the main cast.

Cast

Season 3 began with an unchanged cast. However, during the third and sixth episode, Carolyn McCormick was credited in the opening theme and starting with the ninth episode, she is credited for the rest of the season. This made her the first woman to be part of the cast in the series. A third of the way through, Lennie Briscoe replaced Phil Cerreta in the role of senior detective. This was the first mid-season replacement of a major character in ''Law & Orders history; the next would not occur until season 15. This was also the final season to feature Dann Florek as Capt. Don Cragen, and Richard Brooks as Paul Robinette. Both men would later return in guest roles, with Florek eventually joining the cast of '. This was also the last season of the original opening theme is used before switching it to the shorter theme next season onwards.