SEASON PREMIERE When Professors Hugh and Louise Murdoch are found shot dead in their apartment, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) must determine if Hugh Murdoch's controversial work in stem-cell research could have motivated a religious zealot to commit the murders. But it soon becomes apparent that it was Louise Murdoch's volunteer work raising money and awareness for women's issues in the Middle East that attracted the attention of a troubled young man, Greg Landen aka Mousah Salim (guest star Wil Horneff). A.D.A.'s McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) are left to grapple with Landen's interpretation of the Muslim religion, which may have led him to take extreme measures to exorcise his own personal demons.

When a female high school English teacher is found stabbed to death, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) uncover a love triangle with both a scorned 16-year-old (guest star Stephi Lineburg) and her faculty lover (guest star Rob Campbell) as prime suspects. Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) hope to turn the two lovers against each other in order to shake loose a confession, but find their love unbreakable.

When the lead singer of semi-known rock band is found dead, stuffed into a garbage can in the village with a large amount of heroine and cocaine in her system, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) search for the reason why the trouble vocalist left rehab, making her way to the apartment of former boyfriend and disgruntled band mate (guest star) of her late husband. Attempting to prosecute their case, Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) are hampered by ex-cop turned citizen crime-fighter, Mike Foster (guest star) the unconventional research tactics he employs in pursuit of his next best seller.

When a struggling actress is found shot to death in her apartment in an apparent robbery-homicide, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) hope a vacation video shot by a couple from Ohio will lead them to the murderer. However, when the couple tries to make a quick buck by selling the video to a local news station, Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) attempt to side-step the constitution in order give the police access to the tape.

The discovery, in Hells Kitchen, of a female skeleton with a $40,000 diamond ring leads Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) back to the attacks on the World Trade center, as their victim supposedly died in Tower One. Further investigation by Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) finds both the fiance (guest star Brennan Brown) and lover (guest star Steve Ray Dallimore) of the victim with potential motives for taking advantage of the timing of the tragic events of 9/11.

 When a local contractor is found on his living room floor shot in the head in an apparent robbery gone awry, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) believe the homicide to be the work of a professional and set their sights on the victim's well-kept young bride (guest star Gretchen Egolf) and her alleged lover (guest star Bobby Cannavale) as the masterminds behind this conspiracy. The case takes a strange turn when A.D.A. Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) discovers the supposed hit man was residing in federal prison at the time of the murder, slightly hindering Executive A.D.A. McCoy's (Sam Waterston) prosecution.

When the defense attorney of a recently acquitted cop killer is gunned down outside a Manhattan restaurant, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) set their sights on their fellow officers for a possible suspect -- only to discover the murder might be the work of a white supremacist (guest star Garret Dillahunt). Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) must argue against an unlikely adversary who is his longtime friend and colleague (guest star Tovah Feldshuh) of the slain attorney.

When the body of a limo driver is found on the side of the road, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) discover the recovering addict was the steroid supplier for regular passenger and superstar baseball player Kevin Seleeby, making the sports icon their prime suspect. Further investigation by Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) reveals the alleged motive for the murder as the enterprising chauffer was also blackmailing his ball player client.

The discovery of the smoldering body of an Asian girl outside the Chinese Consul General's apartment leads Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) to suspect the death is a suicide/ political statement, due to the victim's affiliation with the controversial Falun Gong movement. However, when forensics reveal the girl was murdered, the detectives find themselves in the middle of a religious conflict, with their prime suspect being a representative of the Chinese government (guest star Tzi Ma ).

Briscoe and Green investigate what appears to be a hit and run of a wealthy teenage girl outside a Washington Heights coffee shop, leading to the girl's ultimate demise. Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) search for a suspect when they suspect this was no accident but foul play. The discovery of the abandoned murder vehicle leads detectives to the stabbed body of their alleged killer and the horrific connection he shared with his attacker. Prosecuting the case proves difficult for A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) due to her past connections with the defense attorney.

When a couple of intoxicated business men stumble across a man's body stuffed in the truck of a luxury car, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) discover the victim to be the muscle end of a well organized two-man gambling corporation, drawing their suspicions to the victim's partner. However, Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) run into problems as they attempt to prosecute their case battling against a creative defense attorney with an inventive strategy.

After the murder of a notorious drug dealer, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) discover how much damage the deceased inflicted on the neighborhood -- and Briscoe is especially disturbed because the case reminds him of his own daughter's horrible death at the hands of a drug trafficker. When an unlikely suspect confesses, the unusual predicament leads to a tricky trial as A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) must mount arguments against a religious defense.

Andrew McCarthy and Mandy Patinkin guest stars in this episode. Andrew McCarthy is the victim's attorneyWhen a Russian burglar shoots up a jewelry store killing the owner and wounding a customer, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) track him down with the help of the civic-minded victim (guest star, Mandy Patinkin, "Chicago Hope"). However, when it's time for the star witness to testify, he turns up missing.

When a luxury car salesman is found bludgeoned to death in Harlem, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) search for his last customer and trace their suspect through his recent spree of robberies. However, when their alleged murderer turns out to be developmentally disabled, A.D.A.s Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) turn their suspicions to the man's extremely attractive and equally manipulative girlfriend (guest star Vanessa Ferlito, "25th Hour").

When a patrol officer is shot while off-duty, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) search for a motive, haunted by the possibility the victim was targeted because of her uniform. But when the evidence points to a crime of revenge, the detectives set their sights on an African-American teenager angered by the police investigation into his brother's murder. Stage and screen veteran Gregory Hines guest stars as a savvy defense attorney who creates a media frenzy around the case.

GENIUS  10/9pm 4/02/03

Guest movie star Sonia Braga (yeah, who? but that is what it says on the official law & order site). When a cab driver is stabbed to death and left under his taxi, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) discover his last fare was a gifted writer and former convict with a violent streak. Matching the defendant in a battle of wits, A.D.A.'s Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) attempt to prove the writer's guilt.

When a woman's body is found floating in the East river with a gunshot wound to the head, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) retrace the victim's last days discover she recently attended the birthday party of a famed professional football player. When the sports star and the victim's boyfriend also turn up missing, the detectives focus their attention on the last person to see them alive - the athlete's brother.

When four innocent people are shot at random in broad daylight by an unseen sniper, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) try to prevent a citywide panic as they hunt down the anonymous but frightening serial killer. Hoping one of their victims will lead them to the shooter, the detectives uncover a disgruntled employee -- who is also an ex-U.S. Marine and a skilled marksman. Attempting to verify their suspect's guilt, A.D.A.s Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) search for more concrete evidence and uncover the shocking truth behind the killings.

When the infant son of a famed comedian dies after being dropped from a high-rise window, Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) investigate the death as a possible homicide only to uncover the comic's dark secret. Following a trail of money, A.D.A.'s Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) attempt to prosecute the popular celebrity and his conspirators for a decade old sexual assault on an unsuspecting fan.