Law & Order (season 7)

The following is a list of Law & Order episodes from the series' seventh season (1996–1997):[1]

Law & Order
Season 7
Season 7 U.S. DVD cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	23
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 18, 1996 – May 21, 1997
Season chronology

Cast

Jamie Ross (played by Carey Lowell) replaced season 6's Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) in the role of Assistant District Attorney. The resulting ensemble cast was the most stable in the history of the Law & Order series up to this point, being unchanged for two seasons and 47 episodes.

Main cast

• Jerry Orbach as Lennie Briscoe
• Benjamin Bratt as Rey Curtis
• S. Epatha Merkerson as Anita Van Buren
• Sam Waterston as E.A.D.A. Jack McCoy
• Carey Lowell as A.D.A. Jamie Ross
• Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff

Recurring cast

• Carolyn McCormick as Elizabeth Olivet

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
135	1	"Causa Mortis"	Ed Sherin	René Balcer	September 18, 1996	K1106	15.70[2]
McCoy's new second chair, ADA Jamie Ross, is determined to prosecute as harshly as possible a carjacker who took the life of a teacher as she pleaded for her life on an audio tape discovered at the crime scene. Based on the murder of New Jersey schoolteacher Kathleen Weinstein in Toms River.[3] First appearance of Carey Lowell as ADA Jamie Ross. Small appearance by: David Zayas.
136	2	"I.D."	Constantine Makris	Ed Zuckerman	September 25, 1996	K1107	16.50[4]
The cops tackle identifying a corpse left in an elevator, and McCoy finds his prosecution of the suspect later hampered by a vindictive judge (Jerry Adler) who resents Ross's in-court rebuke for sexual harassment.
137	3	"Good Girl"	Jace Alexander	Jeremy R. Littman	October 2, 1996	K1103	14.50[5]
Briscoe and Curtis have to break the mutual alibi of two girlfriends as they try to find the killer of a young black man, whose angry parents pressure McCoy to indict a young woman who claims the victim had raped her.
138	4	"Survivor"	Vincent Misiano	Barry M. Schkolnick	October 23, 1996	K1104	15.50[6]
Briscoe and Curtis's investigation of the murder of a rare coin dealer nets them a millionaire as a suspect, but Ross has to play detective too as the DA's office tries to establish a provenance for the missing coin collection.
139	5	"Corruption"	Matthew Penn	S : René Balcer; S/T : Gardner Stern	October 30, 1996	K1101	16.20[7]
Curtis, angered by the attitude of an old colleague of Briscoe's, looks beyond the findings of an IAB investigation and turns up evidence of police corruption that puts the DA's office into competition with an ambitious judge and Briscoe under investigation for stealing evidence from a police lockup.
140	6	"Double Blind"	Christopher Misiano	Jeremy R. Littman & William N. Fordes	November 6, 1996	K1105	15.20[8]
The murder of a janitor in a university laboratory building leads back to a student employee whose participation in a drug study may have prompted the crime.
141	7	"Deadbeat"	Constantine Makris	Ed Zuckerman & I.C. Rapoport	November 13, 1996	K1108	14.90[9]
The murder of a deadbeat father whose son is dying of leukemia presents McCoy and Ross with a sympathetic suspect and a moral dilemma.
142	8	"Family Business"	Lewis H. Gould	Gardner Stern & Barry M. Schkolnick	November 20, 1996	K1111	14.00[10]
The murder of Richard Speigel, chief financial officer for an exclusive, family-owned department store goes from the sitting room to the bedroom and into the board room as suspicion shifts from co-workers to family members.
143	9	"Entrapment"	Matthew Penn	René Balcer & Richard Sweren	January 8, 1997	K1109	13.20[11]
The case against Huey Tate, a young man accused of shooting the well-known leader of the African-American Congress, comes undone when the New York authorities learn that their chief witness was once an informant for the FBI, and is still under their protection.
144	10	"Legacy"	Brian Mertes	Ed Zuckerman & Jeremy R. Littman	January 15, 1997	K1113	15.10[12]
The investigation of a seemingly random shooting leads Briscoe and Curtis to a brazen, cold-blooded hitman, and the only way to bring him down is for Briscoe to pose as his competition. The case is complicated during trial it is revealed that the victim was shot as revenge for a murder he committed himself just five years ago.
145	11	"Menace"	Constantine Makris	S : Barry M. Schkolnick; S/T : I.C. Rapoport	February 5, 1997	K1114	15.00[13]
An apparent suicide turns out to be murder as Briscoe and Curtis investigate the death of a woman who jumped from a bridge (in front of numerous bystanders) to avoid a crazed attacker with whom she was apparently involved in a fender-bender. When they are unable to convict, McCoy and Ross dig deeper and discover that the 'accident' might not have been so accidental after all. Meanwhile, Curtis is booted from his house after admitting to his wife that he cheated on her.
146	12	"Barter"	Dan Karlok	René Balcer & Eddie Feldmann	February 12, 1997	K1110	14.80[14]
An unpromising case of murder suddenly develops new leads when the cops explore the possibility that the victim was mistaken for someone else. McCoy walks a thin line in the matter of ethical conduct as he tries to make a case against a lender who uses unscrupulous methods to collect the money owed to him.
147	13	"Matrimony"	Lewis H. Gould	Ed Zuckerman & Richard Sweren	February 19, 1997	K1115	13.10[15]
The discovery of a would-be thief refocuses a murder investigation, leaving the prosecutors the task of making a conspiracy case against the deceased's attorney and the pretty young widow.
148	14	"Working Mom"	Jace Alexander	Jeremy R. Littman & I.C. Rapoport	February 26, 1997	K1118	15.00[16]
The shooting of an ex-cop in a neighborhood notorious for prostitution leads Briscoe and Curtis to two suburban housewives who are secretly high-class hookers. When one of the housewife's specialty lipstick is matched to a lipstick sample taken from a very private spot on the victim, it seems like McCoy has an open and shut case. However, the accused soon claims rape and hires a famous women's rights attorney to defend her.
149	15	"D-Girl"	Ed Sherin	René Balcer & Ed Zuckerman & Gardner Stern	March 13, 1997	K1119	19.80[17]
A headless corpse fished out of the river sends Briscoe and Curtis out to Los Angeles to obtain a blood sample from their chief suspect. Back in New York, McCoy and Ross try to obtain a court order for the procedure.
150	16	"Turnaround"	Ed Sherin	René Balcer & Ed Zuckerman & Gardner Stern	March 20, 1997	K1120	18.10[18]
In New York, Briscoe and Curtis try to pin down the suspect's schedule on the night of the murder, but find instead that another man was in the area at the right time and more importantly, might have a motive for the crime. After a new arrest warrant is issued, McCoy and Ross have to fly to L.A. to defend their warrant against attacks by the man's defense counsel, Ross's former husband Neal Gorton.
151	17	"Showtime"	Ed Sherin	René Balcer & Ed Zuckerman & Gardner Stern	March 27, 1997	K1121	17.10[19]
The trial of Eddie Newman begins but the prosecution's chances of conviction are hampered by a "dream team" of defense attorneys, Gorton's personal pressures on Ross, and a surprise accusation of sexual harassment. Curtis' relationship with Lisa also creates tension.
152	18	"Mad Dog"	Christopher Misiano	René Balcer	April 2, 1997	K1116	14.90[20]
McCoy pushes the police perilously close to harassment as he tries to link a recently paroled serial rapist to a new fatal rape.
153	19	"Double Down"	Arthur W. Forney	S : Richard Sweren; T : Ed Zuckerman; S/T : Shimon Wincelberg	April 16, 1997	K1122	14.60[21]
The cops' best hope of finding a kidnapped hired car driver alive is one of the armed robbers who grabbed him after a job, but the immunity deal he demands in return would effectively preclude his prosecution for the shooting death of an off-duty cop, placing McCoy in a difficult position as he seeks to placate the cops, who want the guy prosecuted, and the kidnapped man's wife, who wants every avenue of saving her husband explored.
154	20	"We Like Mike"	David Platt	Gardner Stern & I.C. Rapoport	April 30, 1997	K1125	13.40[22]
A young man who claims to have helped a murdered young man change a flat tire is first the cops' primary suspect, then the prosecutors' chief witness.
155	21	"Passion"	Constantine Makris	S : Richard Sweren; S/T : Barry M. Schkolnick	May 7, 1997	K1124	13.10[23]
Briscoe and Curtis investigate the death of a pretty young book editor who was reputedly having an affair with one of her authors, and find themselves focusing on the author's longtime companion, who steadfastly denies there was anything wrong with their relationship.
156	22	"Past Imperfect"	Christopher Misiano	Janis Diamond	May 14, 1997	K1112	13.40[24]
The cops have a definite clue when a bloodstain that is not the same as the victim's reveals that the killer was a blood relative, and the prosecutors stumble when their chief suspect claims their chief witness is her lawyer, and his knowledge of the crime represents privileged communications.
157	23	"Terminal"	Constantine Makris	René Balcer & Ed Zuckerman	May 21, 1997	K1102	14.90[25]
The cops uncover a man with a secret second life as they try to learn who opened fire on a group of people disembarking from a party cruise, but his guilt or innocence becomes almost a second thought as Adam Schiff goes toe-to-toe with the governor and the state's Attorney General over the decision to seek the death penalty. Meanwhile Schiff learns his wife has been rushed to Cedar's Hospital after suffering a severe stroke rendering her unconscious.

Notes

• Carey Lowell joins the cast as Jamie Ross in this season.
• In the episode "Deadbeat", the actress who currently plays Dr. Melinda Warner (Tamara Tunie) in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit played defense attorney Caroline Bennett.
• In the episode "Entrapment", the actress who went on to play Monique Jeffries (Michelle Hurd) in the first two seasons of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit guest starred as a corrupt FBI informant.
• During the 7th season, Law & Order was becoming more popular than ever on television and was NBC's 2nd most-popular drama; however, the ratings were usually half the size of their big hit drama ER. NBC decided to give Law & Order some additional promotion by airing episodes 149 "D-Girl", 150 "Turnaround" & 151 "Showtime" (a three-episode story arc involving the murder of a Hollywood director's wife, partially set in Los Angeles) on Thursday nights at 10pm ET instead of ER reruns. Ratings for all three episodes were strong and helped establish the show on NBC's schedule for years to come. Episode 152 "Mad Dog" was supposed to air on a Thursday night as well, but NBC moved Law & Order back to Wednesdays at 10pm ET when their midseason show, the police drama Prince Street, bombed in the ratings in that same time slot.
• Sam Waterston was nominated for an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy for his performance in "Mad Dog".
• Law & Order won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for their work in the 7th season.

References

1. CNET Networks, Inc. (2007). TV.com episode summary for Season 7. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
2. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 25 September 1996.
3. "Court tosses conviction of man in slaying of teacher who pleaded for her life". Associated Press. July 14, 2004. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
4. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 2 October 1996.
5. Graham, Jefferson (2 October 1996). "Baseball on NBC helps CBS". USA TODAY.
6. Bash, Alan (30 October 1996). "World Series lineup gives Fox a major win". USA TODAY. p. 3D.
7. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 6 November 1996.
8. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 13 November 1996.
9. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 20 November 1996.
10. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 27 November 1996.
11. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 15 January 1997.
12. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 22 January 1997.
13. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 12 February 1997.
14. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 19 February 1997.
15. Moore, Dennis (26 February 1997). "'Asteroid,' 'Schindler's' help put NBC on top". USA TODAY.
16. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 5 March 1997.
17. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 19 March 1997.
18. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 26 March 1997.
19. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 2 April 1997.
20. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 9 April 1997.
21. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 23 April 1997.
22. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 7 May 1997.
23. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 14 May 1997.
24. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 21 May 1997.
25. "NIELSEN RATINGS". USA TODAY. 28 May 1997.

External links

• Episode guide from NBC.com