‘Law & Order’ Adds David Ajala as New Detective in Season 25

Law & Order will be back for its milestone 25th season this fall — and it will have a new detective joining the ranks.

Following Mehcad Brooks‘ exit between seasons, Riley (Reid Scott) was left without a partner, until now: David Ajala has joined as a series regular, TV Insider has learned. He’ll be playing a new detective. Additional details, including his first episode, have yet to be revealed.

The drama is known for its unique bifurcated format and examines the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. Read on for everything we know about Law & Order Season 25, including who will be back to where the finale left things and more.

When will Law & Order Season 25 premiere?

The drama returns on Thursday, September 25, at 8/7c on NBC.

How did Law & Order Season 24 end?

The finale‘s case was a woman who was brutally murdered, and the killer’s DNA turned up in an unsolved case: Maroun’s (Odelya Halevi) sister. Though she agreed to stay away from the case as a result, she still got involved, including coaching a witness. She wanted Price (Hugh Dancy) to just look the other way, but he couldn’t. The defendant was found not guilty … and then dead. When Price confronted Maroun to ask if she had anything to do with it, she closed her door on him.

That fits what Dancy told TV Insider in April 2025, that the finale “involves one of the characters in a much more personal way than they had originally anticipated, and ultimately, in a way that has me questioning whether I know that person or not.”

He continued, “Price is left in place of not knowing whether he really knows his colleagues the way he thought he did. I suppose on another level, he is forced to balance up his commitment to the specifics of the law versus a more general sense of getting the right outcome, especially when one of the people concerned is somebody that he knows and cares for.”

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Who’s in the Law & Order Season 25 cast?

Law & Order Season 25 stars Maura Tierney as Lieutenant Jessica Brady, Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley, Hugh Dancy as A.D.A. Nolan Price, Odelya Halevi as A.D.A. Samantha Maroun, and Tony Goldwyn as District Attorney Nicholas Baxter. David Ajala is playing the new detective.

What will happen in Law & Order Season 25?

The premiere will have to explain Brooks’ absence as well as introduce the new detective. We also expect some fallout from the finale cliffhanger, both in terms of revealing just what happened and the tension that now has to exist between Price and Maroun.

Is there a Law & Order Season 25 trailer yet?

Not yet.

What’s going on with the other Law & Order shows?

Law & Order: SVU has been renewed for its 27th season. The Organized Crime spinoff led by Christopher Meloni moved to Peacock for its fifth season. It has not yet been picked up for Season 6.

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