Twelve years after its cancelation, NBC opted to revive Waterston exited in season 23 alongside Camryn Manheim's Lieutenant Kate Dixon.

Mortal Kombat 2 hits theaters in October 2025. Brooks expresses excitement over the new season of the police procedural, teasing tension and an "unforeseen camaraderie" upon the arrival of Maura Tierney's Lieutenant Jessica Brady.​​​​​​

Screen Rant interviewed Brooks about Law & Order's long-term success, how the characters are affected by McCoy and Dixon's absence, Shaw's partnership with Riley, and what to expect from Jax in Mortal Kombat 2.

Law & Order Season 24 Will Delve Deeper Into The Characters

"You're getting to know who's solving the crimes, not just about the crimes. You're getting to know more about the victims."

Screen Rant: Law & Order took a 12-year break but came back strong. Now that you’ve been a part of the series for a few seasons, what do you think makes it such a long-term success and allows it to stay relevant?

Mehcad Brooks: Let's separate those questions, if you will. What helps make it a long-term success is I think that it has its finger on the pulse of the nation and its finger on the pulse of the consciousness of the nation. Unfortunately, we have a very violent country and there's always something happening that affects people very deeply. And these crimes, getting into the who, what, when, where, why, and how is always intriguing the people, as you can see with the event of true crime being in the forefront of our consciousness. I think that, in some ways, Law & Order started that phenomenon.

It was brought into somebody's house that you could get the aspects of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of crimes that you, ultimately, will never have so close to your person. My family dealt with a murder in our family, and just knowing that there were other people out there, knowing that there was a whole nation going through this kind of thing, was, in its own sense, healing. I think the reason why the show has lasted so long is because there's no shortage of truth in American violence, and the people that solve these crimes and the people that try these cases.

Whenever we look at something and think, "Wow, that could happen to me," we want to know more about it. And how does it stay relevant? I think that's a separate question because what we're doing now is we're really updating the show. We're definitely keeping the connective tissue of the original DNA and the bifurcated framework, but it feels a lot more personal. We're diving and delving way more into character this year. You're getting to know who's solving the crimes, not just about the crimes. You're getting to know more about the victims.

We're seeing them alive for a little longer than we've seen them in the past, so we feel more connected to them. We're learning what some of these cases cost, Shaw and Riley. Why do they care so much? We're learning about their backstories and their childhoods and their families, which is something I've never seen on the original Law & Orders. This is all in the writing. It's being updated to fit the television landscape today. I think people want to know more about the characters they're watching, and so we're doing that. I think that's how we're going to stay relevant.

Shaw Is Better Equipped To Handle McCoy And Dixon's Departure Than Riley Is In Law & Order Season 24

"You figure out how to make this work in the way that is the healthiest for everyone. I think Shaw is big on that, and he might be better equipped than Riley is for that."

Fans were disappointed to see Sam Waterston and Camryn Manheim exit the series. How would you say their absence will impact the characters going forward?

Mehcad Brooks: Change happens and evolution is necessary in every part of existence. That's just what it is. And I think that, to answer your question, I think Shaw is better at evolving than Riley is. I can't give too much away about that, but personally, as a human being, I was sad to see Sam go. I was sad to see Camryn go. I loved them both. I loved working with both of them. Working with both of them was one of the highlights of my career.

And as a character, Shaw was close with Lieutenant Dixon and doesn't have a lot of answers as to how to deal with Jessica Brady, which is Maura Tierney's character, because she definitely walks to the beat of her own drummer, and she handles things in a much different way, and that does cause some tension. There's also an interesting and unforeseen camaraderie that happens as well. Just like all things, when you're evolving and changing, you figure out how to process. You figure out how to make this work in the way that is the healthiest for everyone. I think Shaw is big on that, and he might be better equipped than Riley is for that.

Shaw and Riley definitely have an interesting partnership. They don’t always see eye to eye, so what can you tease about their dynamic in season 24?

Mehcad Brooks: We have dueling perspectives about things for sure, but I think what's informed their relationship—it's like art imitating life in this way that Reid and I get along so well, and we're such good friends. He says this too—we have never met another person that we got along with so well, so quickly. It's never happened in my life. It's never happened in his life. We're like, "What the hell? This is great." And the fact that we get to see so much of each other really helps.

I think that's informed the relationship and how they're writing for it. Shaw and Riley's relationship feels more of a buddy comedy, but then two guys who take their job very seriously and have to solve the most heinous crimes known to man and explore the darkest parts of the human psyche and human consciousness. Once again, there is that Law & Order traditional DNA there, but there's an updated twist that feels a little more like Bad Boys in New York, in a way.

Could we see Shaw on SVU or Organized Crime anytime soon?

Mehcad Brooks: I would love that. I love playing in other sandboxes, and particularly, when you're bringing the same character over, it just feels a little easier, but I'm open to it. From your lips to Dick Wolf's ears.

Brooks Teases What's Next For His Character In Mortal Kombat 2

"You're going to see a lot more of Jax's personality, a lot more of his humor, a lot more of what he believes, and some really awesome fighting."

Would you want to revisit the superhero genre in James Gunn's DC Universe? Are there any other superhero roles you'd want to play?

Mehcad Brooks: Oh my God. And there's multiverses, right? I've always been a huge Green Lantern fan. I think I would kill John Stewart. Green Lantern is the first one that comes to mind for sure, for me. There are a lot of superheroes in DC canon. And I also believe I'm playing a superhero when it comes to Jax on Mortal Kombat. I think that these guys are superheroes. We don't look at them as that because they're video game characters, but what are they?

If you're in that dimension, and they can die and come back, and they're super strong, and they're bionic, and they're this and that, and they're shooting lasers—in any other world we would call these people superheroes and super villains. I think that when Mortal Kombat comes out, you're going to see a different type of expansion of what we consider to be the superhero genre, because it does feel like Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema's darker version of a Marvel movie.

Is there anything you can tease about Mortal Kombat 2 and what's coming up for Jax?

Mehcad Brooks: Jax is in my DNA. love him. I understand him. He's a great guy. And in this film, you're going to see a lot more of Jax's personality, a lot more of his humor, a lot more of what he believes, and some really, really awesome fighting. There are 27 fights in the movie, and we worked really hard to get those right.

We had an incredible team with producer Todd Garner and director Simon McQuoid and producer E. Bennett Walsh. We had one of the best stunt teams and fight teams and fight coordinators and fight choreographers in the business. It's just going to feel like something people haven't seen before, and I'm so proud to be a part of that.

About NBC's Crime Drama Law & Order

The pilot first aired on September 13, 1990.

Lives hang in the balance as detectives and prosecutors pursue justice in New York City. In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place -- and keep the worst offenders off the streets.

Check out the trailer for NBC's Law & Order franchise below:

Law & Order season 24 premieres October 3 on NBC, with new episodes airing weekly.