Reid Scott exits Law & Order as James Badge Dale joins season 26
Deadline reports Scott is leaving NBC’s long-running crime drama, with Dale set to arrive as a new senior detective.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Law & Order is changing detectives again: Reid Scott is leaving the NBC drama after three seasons as Senior Detective Vincent Riley, and James Badge Dale is lined up to take his place in season 26, Deadline reported.
Dale, whose credits include 13 Hours and 1923, will play a new senior detective who replaces Riley, according to Deadline. The timing of the handoff has not been pinned down.
Scott is not disappearing without a sendoff. Deadline reported that he is back on set to film several episodes that will close out Riley’s story before Dale’s character is introduced.
Why Scott is leaving
Deadline reported that Scott’s exit was his own choice and described the departure as amicable. The report said Scott was believed to have another year remaining on his contract.
The decision was said to be tied to the grind of commuting across the country and spending nine months of the year away from his family while the show films in New York, according to Deadline.
Scott joined Law & Order as Riley and became part of the show’s ever-rotating police lineup. Most recently, his character was paired with Junior Detective Theo Walker, played by David Ajala.
Before that, Riley worked with Junior Detective Jalen Shaw, played by Mehcad Brooks. Deadline noted that Brooks left the series last summer, while Scott had previously stepped into the detective slot after Jeffrey Donovan’s departure.
Dale joins a familiar revolving door
Law & Order has long refreshed its ensemble between seasons, and season 26 will keep that tradition going. Dale joins returning cast members Ajala, Tony Goldwyn, Hugh Dancy, Maura Tierney and Odelya Halevi, Deadline reported.
The new season is scheduled to premiere Oct. 8 at 10 p.m. on NBC, following the season opener of Law & Order: SVU, according to Deadline.
Dale arrives with a résumé that stretches across network, cable and streaming TV. Deadline cited major roles on Fox’s 24, HBO’s The Pacific, Starz’s Hightown, Peacock’s Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy and Paramount+’s 1923.
He is also part of The Savant, the Jessica Chastain thriller series whose release has been paused by Apple TV, Deadline reported.
On the film side, Dale’s credits include The Departed, The Grey, Iron Man 3, 13 Hours and World War Z. Deadline also reported that he recently joined the crime thriller Interference and the psychological thriller The Guide.
Dale is represented by CAA, MJ Management and Michael Auerbach, according to Deadline.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.