# Law & Order season 17

The seventeenth season of Law & Order premiered on NBC on September 22, 2006, and concluded on May 18, 2007. This is the last season to feature Fred Thompson (Arthur Branch), the only season to feature Milena Govich and the first season to feature Alana de la Garza.

## Cast changes

Following the departures of Dennis Farina and Annie Parisse at the end of the 16th season, Govich and de la Garza joined the cast as Detective Nina Cassady and Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa, respectively. Jesse L. Martin's character (Ed Green) was promoted to senior detective to replace Farina's character. At the end of the season, Fred Thompson (Arthur Branch) and Milena Govich departed the cast. Former cast member Richard Brooks reprised his role as Paul Robinette for the episode "Fear America".

## Cast
### Main cast

* Jesse L. Martin as Senior Detective Ed Green
* Milena Govich as Junior Detective Nina Cassady
* S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
* Sam Waterston as Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy
* Alana de la Garza as Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa
* Fred Dalton Thompson as District Attorney Arthur Branch

### Recurring cast

* Richard Brooks as Defense Attorney Paul Robinette
* Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 372 | 1 | "Fame" | Jean de Segonzac | Nicholas Wootton | September 22, 2006 (2006-09-22) | 17001 | 11.07 |
| Ed Green and his new partner, Nina Cassady, investigate the death of a cop killed during a botched robbery which leads them to stolen photographs of a celebrity mother married to a rapper who has motive for wanting the photos. First appearances of Milena Govich as Junior Detective Nina Cassady and Alana De La Garza as Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa. ||||||||
| 373 | 2 | "Avatar" | Vincent Misiano | David Slack | September 29, 2006 (2006-09-29) | 17002 | 10.03 |
| Green and Cassady investigate after the photograph of a dead woman is found on a popular website, B-Frendz.com. Their investigation leads them to a mentally-disturbed young man the victim's teenage daughter claims kidnapped and raped her, but his lawyer offers up an even greater incentive: the supposed kidnapping victim, Molly Preston. ||||||||
| 374 | 3 | "Home Sweet" | Richard Dobbs | Michael S. Chernuchin | October 6, 2006 (2006-10-06) | 17003 | 9.64 |
| When eight-year-old Jenna Wechsler dies as a result of a building explosion, Green and Cassady follow the trail of evidence to Rosalie Schaffner, the owner's ex-wife. McCoy and Rubirosa pursue Rosalie Schaffner despite a lack of concrete evidence, but the case takes a turn when Rubirosa finds a piece of evidence that points them in a new direction. ||||||||
| 375 | 4 | "Fear America" | Constantine Makris | Sonny Postiglione & Robert Nathan | October 13, 2006 (2006-10-13) | 17004 | 9.43 |
| After Eric Khalaby is seen being murdered on tape in what appears to be an American movement against Islam, Green and Cassady investigate the case which leads them to Khalaby's cousin-in-law Ben Faoud, who appears to be connected to a terrorist cell functioning inside New York. Unfortunately, the best link to Faoud appears to surround a recent shipment of uranium, which McCoy and Rubirosa are forbidden to mention by the federal government. When news of the uranium leaks out, McCoy and Rubirosa find themselves the victims of intense federal scrutiny, and Paul Robinette's (Richard Brooks) vigorous defense of young Faoud does not help matters. ||||||||
| 376 | 5 | "Public Service Homicide" | Constantine Makris | Chris Levinson | October 20, 2006 (2006-10-20) | 17005 | 10.20 |
| When Carl Mullaly is discovered murdered in his apartment, Green and Cassady learn that he had recently been profiled on HardFocus, a tabloid talk show that exposes sex offenders who are caught via the ScumWatch website. With an eight-year-old girl as the only eyewitness, detectives arrest the murderer, but McCoy and Rubirosa soon learn that HardFocus is a lot more involved than they claim. ||||||||
| 377 | 6 | "Profiteer" | Arthur W. Forney | David Wilcox | October 27, 2006 (2006-10-27) | 17007 | 9.02 |
| The shooting of Gary Howard a local businessman is linked to a killing in Iraq, and McCoy and Rubirosa refuse to allow the killer to plead out. ||||||||
| 378 | 7 | "In Vino Veritas" | Tim Hunter | David Wilcox | November 3, 2006 (2006-11-03) | 17006 | 10.87 |
| A has-been actor Mitch Carroll wearing bloodstained clothing arrested for drunken driving reveals religious prejudices during his rantings. The detectives discover a Jewish producer of his dead, and try to find his connection to the murder. Inspired by the events surrounding Mel Gibson. Chevy Chase guest stars. ||||||||
| 379 | 8 | "Release" | Michael Pressman | Rick Eid & Nicholas Wootton | November 10, 2006 (2006-11-10) | 17008 | 9.57 |
| After Hudson Moore is found bludgeoned in the back of the Babes Being Bad bus, suspicion initially turns to the company's creator, Chris Drake, until video footage leads detectives to a young woman who was with Moore the night that he died. After concentrating their investigation on the young woman, the reasons behind Moore's murder soon become apparent, and McCoy and Rubirosa struggle to prosecute a man who, while not directly responsible for the murder, may have been responsible for the incidents that led up to it. ||||||||
| 380 | 9 | "Deadlock" | Alex Chapple | David Slack | November 17, 2006 (2006-11-17) | 17009 | 9.94 |
| Green and Cassady hunt mass murderer Leon Vorgitch, who recently escaped from prison. They finally corner Vorgitch in a school with a room full of hostages, and before surrendering himself to police, Vorgitch shoots a number of innocent children, killing four. His unwillingness to accept a deal infuriates McCoy, as it gives him more time to escape prison again. When the father of one of his victims takes justice into his own hands and ends up being used as a campaign slogan for a local politician, McCoy and Rubirosa try to convince Robert Purcell not to let himself be a scapegoat for a political platform. ||||||||
| 381 | 10 | "Corner Office" | Joan Stein Schimke | Rick Eid & Richard Sweren | December 8, 2006 (2006-12-08) | 17010 | 10.23 |
| After corporate attorney Charles Dillon is discovered dead in a hotel room, Green and Cassady investigate and learn that the company he was working for is in the process of being indicted. Their investigation leads them to a high-priced callgirl, Julia Veloso, who turns out to have been romantically involved with the company's CEO, Samantha Weaver. McCoy and Rubirosa find themselves at odds as Rubirosa wonders if McCoy's prosecution of Weaver has more to do with her gender than her guilt. ||||||||
| 382 | 11 | "Remains of the Day" | Constantine Makris | S : Shiya Ribowsky; S/T : David Wilcox | January 5, 2007 (2007-01-05) | 17011 | 9.77 |
| After Michael Jones dies in his mother's hospital room with no immediate explanation, his mother Ashley accuses her former husband's adult children, Miles and Hillary Foster, who are fighting her for control of their father's substantial fortune. The autopsy rules out the Fosters, and points Green and Cassady in the direction of illegally harvested donor bones, which Jones had received in a transplant eighteen months prior. McCoy and Rubirosa struggle to prosecute the case after it becomes clear the only way they will get the evidence they need is to test another young man who received bone grafts from the same woman who had given Michael Jones his legs. ||||||||
| 383 | 12 | "Charity Case" | Michael Pressman | Nicholas Wootton | January 12, 2007 (2007-01-12) | 17012 | 9.02 |
| Green and Cassady investigate after Sean Archer, a producer who had recently adopted a child from Africa with his wife, well-known actress Sofia (Jennifer Beals), is gunned down outside an ice cream shop while holding baby Christopher. The shooting is soon linked to the recent adoption of Christopher, which had received international scrutiny because it appeared to have been pushed through based on the couple's celebrity status. McCoy and Rubirosa initially investigate the murder of Sean Archer, which soon turns into an investigation of a child's death when the identity of baby Christopher comes under question. ||||||||
| 384 | 13 | "Talking Points" | Matthew Penn | Michael S. Chernuchin | February 2, 2007 (2007-02-02) | 17013 | 9.53 |
| The shooting of university student Jason Miles at a political rally hosted by controversial speaker Judith Barlow leaves any number of suspects, but after Green and Cassady prove that two of the people they've questioned are lying about their alibis, they turn their attention to Malcom Yates, a grad student who claimed to be with Jason's girlfriend at the time of his death. McCoy and Rubirosa realize that Yates went after Barlow because of her open criticism of stem-cell research, something that Yates had high hopes could help find a cure for his own Parkinson's. ||||||||
| 385 | 14 | "Church" | Constantine Makris | Rick Eid | February 9, 2007 (2007-02-09) | 17014 | 9.63 |
| A reverend is accused of the murder of Jeff Cantwell a young gay actor, but McCoy and Rubirosa soon learn that he may not be the guilty party. ||||||||
| 386 | 15 | "Melting Pot" | Jean de Segonzac | Richard Sweren | February 16, 2007 (2007-02-16) | 17015 | 9.01 |
| After Erin Garrett an actress is found dead in her apartment, Green and Cassady attempt to prove that her death was not a suicide. Inspired by the murder of actress Adrienne Shelly, who herself guest starred in a Season 10 episode of Law & Order entitled "High & Low". ||||||||
| 387 | 16 | "Murder Book" | Constantine Makris | David Wilcox | February 23, 2007 (2007-02-23) | 17016 | 8.67 |
| After publisher Serena Darby is found murdered in her apartment, suspicion turns to J.P. Lange, a former professional baseball player acquitted of his wife's murder who had written a book hypothesizing how he would have committed the murder. Green and Cassady follow the trail of evidence from Lange to Gerald Stockwell, a former ghostwriter on the book, but Stockwell tries to clear himself by offering McCoy and Rubirosa proof that one of the jurors in Lange's trial was paid off to force an acquittal. ||||||||
| 388 | 17 | "Good Faith" | Sam Weisman | David Slack | March 30, 2007 (2007-03-30) | 17017 | 7.47 |
| Green and Cassady investigate an arson turned homicide when a body found in a burned church turns out to have been murdered before the fire started. Last appearance by Tovah Feldshuh as Danielle Melnick in the original Law & Order series. ||||||||
| 389 | 18 | "Bling" | Karen Gaviola | Matthew McGough | April 6, 2007 (2007-04-06) | 17018 | 8.22 |
| Green and Cassady follow the clues in the shooting death of rapper Clarice James, "Sweet Clarice", first to a sketchy music producer and then to a jeweler who claims Clarice owed him a great deal of cash. ||||||||
| 390 | 19 | "Fallout" | Constantine Makris | Sonny Postiglione | April 27, 2007 (2007-04-27) | 17019 | 7.52 |
| Green and Cassady get mixed up with the Russian consulate after Peter Rostov dies of ricin poisoning. Their investigation leads them first to his work, where they learn he spent a great deal of time traveling back and forth between Russia, and secondly to his brother, Karl. It is not long before they link the Rostov brothers to an illegal prostitution ring trafficking in young Russian women, but McCoy is faced with trying to get the remaining Rostov brother to testify so he can prosecute Brezin, the father of one of the trafficked girls. ||||||||
| 391 | 20 | "Captive" | Michael Watkins | Richard Sweren | May 4, 2007 (2007-05-04) | 17020 | 8.88 |
| When a young boy is found murdered, Green and Cassady follow the leads to a suspected serial pedophile/murderer, where another captive boy has spent five years as a now willing victim with Stockholm syndrome. ||||||||
| 392 | 21 | "Over Here" | Constantine Makris | William N. Fordes | May 11, 2007 (2007-05-11) | 17021 | 8.30 |
| The detectives link the deaths of two homeless men to the war in Iraq. ||||||||
| 393 | 22 | "The Family Hour" | Matthew Penn | Richard Sweren & David Slack | May 18, 2007 (2007-05-18) | 17022 | 9.23 |
| When Nicole Bailey, the ex-wife of a respected former senator, is found murdered and brutalized in her home, Green and Cassady look first at the senator, but follow the trail of clues to a dysfunctional family with a number of potentially embarrassing secrets. McCoy finds himself in the hot seat when he is forced to argue the case in front of a judge who does not seem mentally prepared to hear murder cases. Last appearance of Fred Thompson as District Attorney Arthur Branch and of Milena Govich as Detective Nina Cassady. Jeremy Sisto guest stars as a defense attorney. Sisto would join the main cast the next season as Detective Cyrus Lupo. ||||||||