# Law & Order season 19

The nineteenth season of Law & Order premiered on NBC on November 5, 2008, and concluded on June 3, 2009. This was the show's third season in which there were no changes in the cast from the previous season, and it would be the last season to air on Wednesday nights at 10PM/9c, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has claimed the slot off-and-on (SVU often placed at 9PM/8c to lead other programming that later gets moved or taken off schedule) from the fall of 2009 to present.
The series declined in the ratings due to competition from CBS's CSI: NY, although some episodes spiked when CSI: NY episodes were repeats (or replaced with other programming).

## Cast
### Main cast

* Jeremy Sisto as Senior Detective Cyrus Lupo
* Anthony Anderson as Junior Detective Kevin Bernard
* S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
* Linus Roache as Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Cutter
* Alana de la Garza as Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa
* Sam Waterston as Interim District Attorney Jack McCoy

### Recurring cast

* 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) |
| 412 | 1 | "Rumble" | Constantine Makris | Richard Sweren & Christopher Ambrose | November 5, 2008 (2008-11-05) | 19003 | 7.94 |
| A stockbroker Todd Hauser is beaten to death and the investigation leads to an illegal street-fighting ring. Issues around misuse of terrorism statutes are explored. ||||||||
| 413 | 2 | "Challenged" | Fred Berner | René Balcer & Ed Zuckerman | November 12, 2008 (2008-11-12) | 19001 | 7.93 |
| The detectives hope that a mentally challenged patient can help them solve the case of Rick Devon a man found murdered in a park, but the patient's family may be responsible for the crime. ||||||||
| 414 | 3 | "Lost Boys" | Christopher Zalla | Richard Sweren & Gina Gionfriddo | November 19, 2008 (2008-11-19) | 19004 | 7.62 |
| A young man's murder is linked to a woman who has escaped from a polygamous religious cult. ||||||||
| 415 | 4 | "Falling" | Michael Watkins | Stephanie Sengupta & Keith Eisner | November 26, 2008 (2008-11-26) | 19005 | 6.33 |
| A crane falls and kills a man and the detectives find evidence of foul play. ||||||||
| 416 | 5 | "Knock Off" | Constantine Makris | S : Jonathan Rintels; T : William N. Fordes & Matthew McGough | December 3, 2008 (2008-12-03) | 19006 | 11.31 |
| A tourist Will Timmons is murdered and the detectives suspect that corrupt law enforcement officers from a small town are involved. Meanwhile, the governor threatens to nominate a new District Attorney for the upcoming election. Partially inspired by a New York Times report on untrained judges and abuses of justice in Upstate New York ||||||||
| 417 | 6 | "Sweetie" | Mario Van Peebles | Ed Zuckerman & Luke Schelhaas | December 10, 2008 (2008-12-10) | 19007 | 7.51 |
| A well-known memoir writer who wrote a book about his early life as Dale Marx a male prostitute is found dead, but as the detectives investigate they discover that the book was based on the life of another person. ||||||||
| 418 | 7 | "Zero" | Marisol Torres | Ed Zuckerman & Luke Schelhaas | December 17, 2008 (2008-12-17) | 19002 | 7.02 |
| A woman's body is found in a city garden, leaving Bernard and Lupo to sort through her contradictory life and her ties to a cop's death in New Jersey. Then Cutter's case is jeopardized by a law clerk with a crush whose judge requires an unusual amount of assistance. ||||||||
| 419 | 8 | "Chattel" | Jim McKay | William N. Fordes & Matthew McGough | January 7, 2009 (2009-01-07) | 19009 | 10.26 |
| A pair of divorce lawyers Liz and Fred Bellamy are murdered in their home and the investigation leads to a possible cover-up involving the abuse of adopted Haitian children. ||||||||
| 420 | 9 | "By Perjury" | Darnell Martin | Richard Sweren & Christopher Ambrose | January 14, 2009 (2009-01-14) | 19010 | 8.26 |
| A plaintiff in a class-action suit against an airline is murdered and the murder may have been committed by a lawyer linked to many other murders in the past. ||||||||
| 421 | 10 | "Pledge" | Alex Chapple | Richard Sweren & Gina Gionfriddo | January 21, 2009 (2009-01-21) | 19008 | 8.27 |
| Harold Foley and his wife Joyce, both biologists at a local university, come home to find their son Eric (played by Timothée Chalamet in one of his first television roles) and their housekeeper Grazinya murdered. The case leads to a man obsessed with a certain sorority. ||||||||
| 422 | 11 | "Lucky Stiff" | Marc Levin | Ed Zuckerman & Matthew McGough | January 28, 2009 (2009-01-28) | 19012 | 8.96 |
| A murdered truck driver has ties to the Russian mob. ||||||||
| 423 | 12 | "Illegitimate" | Josh Marston | Stephanie Sengupta & Keith Eisner | February 4, 2009 (2009-02-04) | 19011 | 8.64 |
| A police officer Scott Waylon who has been having financial problems takes hostages at gunpoint and is then killed by fellow officers. He has the keys to an apartment that is not his primary residence; detectives Lupo and Bernard search the apartment and find a dead body and valuable stolen documents that have been stolen by a man who needs them to prove that he is the illegitimate son of John F. Kennedy. ||||||||
| 424 | 13 | "Crimebusters" | Alex Chapple | Richard Sweren & Gina Gionfriddo | February 11, 2009 (2009-02-11) | 19013 | 7.44 |
| After an Army recruitment center is bombed an unconscious woman and her dead baby who were sleeping at the place are found in the wreckage. The case gets even more complicated after a group of voluntary vigilantes interfere in the investigation and both of the prime suspects, including the baby's own mother, have equal motives for the crime. ||||||||
| 425 | 14 | "Rapture" | Fred Berner | Ed Zuckerman & Luke Schelhaas | February 18, 2009 (2009-02-18) | 19014 | 7.23 |
| The creator of a religious website is murdered and the trail leads to a corrupt charitable organization who was stealing from his clients. When the detectives are ready to arrest him the suspect seeks asylum in the Embassy of Iran claiming to be victim of a Zionist conspiracy. ||||||||
| 426 | 15 | "Bailout" | Jean de Segonzac | Richard Sweren & Christopher Ambrose | March 11, 2009 (2009-03-11) | 19015 | 7.64 |
| The mistress of the CEO of a failed bank is killed in a hit-and-run and the investigation leads to a kidnapping and extortion plot. ||||||||
| 427 | 16 | "Take-Out" | Jim McKay | William N. Fordes & Keith Eisner | March 18, 2009 (2009-03-18) | 19016 | 7.14 |
| A writer is murdered after investigating an espionage case involving the Chinese government that led to the imprisonment of a man many years ago. ||||||||
| 428 | 17 | "Anchors Away" | Alex Chapple | Ed Zuckerman & Matthew McGough | March 25, 2009 (2009-03-25) | 19017 | 7.33 |
| Detectives Lupo and Bernard investigate the murder of a television reporter who was involved in a love triangle with one of her co-workers. Partially inspired by the murder of Anne Pressly, the Madoff investment scandal, and the Larry Mendte scandal. Dawn, the name of the murder victim, is also the name of Mendte's wife. ||||||||
| 429 | 18 | "Promote This!" | Michael Watkins | Richard Sweren & Christopher Ambrose | April 29, 2009 (2009-04-29) | 19019 | 7.83 |
| The detectives investigate the vicious beating of an Hispanic illegal immigrant who may be linked to a series of other hate crimes. ||||||||
| 430 | 19 | "All New" | Roger Young | William N. Fordes & Keith Eisner | May 6, 2009 (2009-05-06) | 19020 | 8.14 |
| Firefighter Thomas Cooper and his wife Linda are tortured and murdered in their new townhouse. The murders are thought to be linked to an old unsolved drug case, but then the detectives learn about a firefighter named Nick Spence, who had just joined Cooper's company and was being severely hazed. The investigation suffers a setback when Spence dies in a fire under suspicious circumstances. ||||||||
| 431 | 20 | "Exchange" | Ernest Dickerson | Stephanie Sengupta | May 13, 2009 (2009-05-13) | 19018 | 7.90 |
| Two engaged scientists Colin and Geraldine die in a fire and their mentally challenged neighbor is injured while trying to help them. The detectives discover that the couple was stabbed before the fire and this leads them to a disturbed and extremely jealous woman. ||||||||
| 432 | 21 | "Skate or Die" | Norberto Barba | Ed Zuckerman & Luke Schelhaas | May 20, 2009 (2009-05-20) | 19021 | 6.67 |
| Detectives Lupo and Bernard investigate a serial killer who targets homeless men and discover that a copycat may be at work, but to arrest the murderers they need the testimony of a bipolar skater who is having a psychotic attack. ||||||||
| 433 | 22 | "The Drowned and the Saved" | Fred Berner | Richard Sweren & Gina Gionfriddo | June 3, 2009 (2009-06-03) | 19022 | 8.87 |
| A prominent charity executive is murdered and claims of stalking and blackmail surface during the investigation. The case then leads to Rita Shalvoy, the wife of governor Donald Shalvoy, and once again Jack McCoy must know if he is willing to prosecute his old friend. ||||||||