# Law & Order season 13

Law & Order season 13 premiered on NBC on October 2, 2002, and ended on May 21, 2003.

## Cast

Arthur Branch (played by Fred Dalton Thompson) replaced season 12's Nora Lewin (Dianne Wiest) in the role of District Attorney. The resulting ensemble cast was the most stable in the history of the Law & Order series up to that time, being unchanged for 2 seasons over 48 episodes (Seasons 7 and 8 were the first seasons with no cast changes as well, however those seasons totaled 47 episodes). The longest period of cast stability overall encompassed the last four episodes of Season 18 and the entirety of Seasons 19 and 20, a total of 49 episodes.

### Main

* Jerry Orbach as Senior Detective Lennie Briscoe
* Jesse L. Martin as Junior Detective Ed Green
* S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
* Sam Waterston as Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy
* Elisabeth Röhm as Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn
* Fred Dalton Thompson as District Attorney Arthur Branch

### Recurring

* Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
* J. K. Simmons as Dr. Emil Skoda

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 278 | 1 | "American Jihad" | Constantine Makris | Aaron Zelman & Marc Guggenheim | October 2, 2002 (2002-10-02) | E3304 | 19.13 |
| A Muslim-American becomes the prime suspect in a double murder after an academic challenges his religious beliefs. First appearance of Fred Dalton Thompson as DA Arthur Branch. ||||||||
| 279 | 2 | "Shangri-La" | Constantine Makris | Michael S. Chernuchin | October 9, 2002 (2002-10-09) | E3301 | 20.25 |
| The murder of a female high school English teacher uncovers a love triangle that includes a female student and a male teacher, both of whom become suspects. The prosecutors have to deal with a dark secret the student has been hiding once said secret is revealed. ||||||||
| 280 | 3 | "True Crime" | Martha Mitchell | Wendy Battles & Noah Baylin | October 16, 2002 (2002-10-16) | E3305 | 19.29 |
| Investigating the death of a rock band singer who had large amounts of cocaine and heroin in her system, the detectives question a former boyfriend who was a disgruntled band mate of her late husband. The actions of a retired detective-turned-writer, who worked a case with Briscoe several years back and whose unconventional research tactics make him an additional suspect, hamper the prosecutors. ||||||||
| 281 | 4 | "Tragedy on Rye" | David Platt | William N. Fordes | October 30, 2002 (2002-10-30) | E3303 | 20.16 |
| A struggling actress is murdered in an apparent robbery-homicide where a videotape, made by a couple touring the city and sold to a local news station, shows three suspects loading the stolen property into an SUV. They are charged with felony murder, a capital crime, and this causes unrest with Southerlyn surrounding the death penalty. Inspired by the May 2001 New York City shooting above the popular tourist attraction the Carnegie Deli ||||||||
| 282 | 5 | "The Ring" | Richard Dobbs | Michael S. Chernuchin | November 6, 2002 (2002-11-06) | E3309 | 18.44 |
| The discovery of a body in Hell's Kitchen that had been wearing a $40,000 diamond ring leads Briscoe and Green back to the September 11th attacks, as the victim had been reported to have died on the 89th floor of the World Trade Center. The ensuing investigation leads to a fiancé, an extramarital lover, and the determination that the events of 9/11 may have been convenient timing to hide the fact that she was murdered the night before. ||||||||
| 283 | 6 | "Hitman" | Richard Dobbs | Eric Overmyer | November 13, 2002 (2002-11-13) | E3302 | 19.02 |
| The execution-style shooting of a city contractor leads Briscoe and Green to suspect a professional hitman. They first focus upon possible enemies of the victim, but end up suspecting the victim's wife and her boyfriend of hiring the killer. However, as they investigate every possibility, the evidence leads McCoy and Southerlyn to a conspirator that no one had suspected. ||||||||
| 284 | 7 | "Open Season" | Matthew Penn | Richard Sweren | November 20, 2002 (2002-11-20) | E3306 | 17.98 |
| A defense attorney who had just acquitted a man charged with trying to kill a cop is gunned down outside a Manhattan restaurant. The detectives start with police officers in the precinct of the injured officer, then his brother, before they are led to a white supremacist who is part of a national network. McCoy is faced with the unlikely prospect that the defendant's attorney, his friend of 20 years and a friend of the slain lawyer, played a part in the murder of a Florida district attorney following the defendant's arrest. McCoy is able to make a deal that preserves the integrity of his adversary but not without a cost. ||||||||
| 285 | 8 | "Asterisk" | Steve Shill | Terri Kopp | November 27, 2002 (2002-11-27) | E3308 | 15.84 |
| A star baseball player becomes the prime suspect in the murder of Norman Pratt his limousine driver when it is discovered that the driver regularly supplied steroids to the sports icon. The subsequent investigation reveals blackmail as the underlying motive for the murder. ||||||||
| 286 | 9 | "The Wheel" | Richard Dobbs | Jill Goldsmith | December 11, 2002 (2002-12-11) | E3307 | 19.62 |
| The smoldering corpse of an Asian girl found outside the Chinese consul general's apartment leads the detectives to believe she had immolated herself to make a political statement. When forensics shows that she had been murdered beforehand, they find themselves in the middle of a religious conflict, with the consul general as their prime suspect. ||||||||
| 287 | 10 | "Mother's Day" | Jace Alexander | Janis Diamond | January 8, 2003 (2003-01-08) | E3311 | 19.55 |
| The hit-and-run death of a popular high-school student leaves the detectives suspecting the girl's father was the real target. When evidence reveals that the death was possibly a random killing, they are able to track down their suspect to his apartment. However, things get complicated when their killer is murdered, and the person who committed the crime happens to be the victim's mother. ||||||||
| 288 | 11 | "Chosen" | Ed Sherin | Michael S. Chernuchin | January 15, 2003 (2003-01-15) | E3310 | 19.03 |
| The murder of a bookie with a high-class clientele leads the detectives to arrest his partner. Charged with first-degree murder, his attorney puts forth an unusual defense strategy that turns the trial into a political statement. ||||||||
| 289 | 12 | "Under God" | Gloria Muzio | Marc Guggenheim & Noah Baylin | February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05) | E3313 | 18.33 |
| A well-known drug dealer is killed and suspicion falls on a dead teenager's father. This case hits Briscoe hard because his daughter Cathy, was recently murdered by her dealer boyfriend after she testified against him for immunity (as seen in Season 8, Episode 22, "Damaged"). She had struggled with meth addiction for years. Briscoe, still mourning his loss, is unusually sympathetic towards the suspect. Before the police can establish guilt of the father, the suspect's priest (Denis O'Hare) confesses — claiming that God told him to kill the dealer for the good of the community. ||||||||
| 290 | 13 | "Absentia" | Martha Mitchell & Darnell Martin | Eric Overmyer | February 12, 2003 (2003-02-12) | E3314 | 18.38 |
| When the witness in a jewelry store robbery-homicide fails to appear in court, McCoy suspects foul play until he discovers more about the witness (Mandy Patinkin). ||||||||
| 291 | 14 | "Star Crossed" | David Platt | Richard Sweren | February 19, 2003 (2003-02-19) | E3315 | 19.81 |
| The bludgeoning of a luxury sports car dealer leads the detectives to a mentally challenged man and his girlfriend, who is extremely attractive and whose expensive tastes lead her to be equally manipulative. ||||||||
| 292 | 15 | "Bitch" | Constantine Makris | Michael S. Chernuchin & Roz Weinman | February 26, 2003 (2003-02-26) | E3320 | 15.63 |
| The death of a stockbroker leads the detectives to his famous photographer girlfriend and her mother, who is a cosmetics mogul with a longstanding friendship with DA Arthur Branch. The mother will stop at nothing to protect her corporate image. She goes as far as using hormone replacement therapy withdrawal as the basis for her defense. ||||||||
| 293 | 16 | "Suicide Box" | Matthew Penn | Aaron Zelman | March 26, 2003 (2003-03-26) | E3312 | 16.48 |
| A media-savvy attorney (Gregory Hines) defends a black teenager accused of shooting an off-duty police officer. ||||||||
| 294 | 17 | "Genius" | Jace Alexander | William N. Fordes | April 2, 2003 (2003-04-02) | E3318 | 15.47 |
| Investigating the murder of a cab driver, the detectives come to suspect a famous author and his protege, a former child prodigy. ||||||||
| 295 | 18 | "Maritime" | Gloria Muzio | Wendy Battles | April 17, 2003 (2003-04-17) | E3319 | 15.48 |
| A missing football player becomes the prime suspect in the murder of Julie Eastman a woman whose body is discovered floating in the East River, but when his yacht is found with all the guests missing the detectives suspect that he was a victim himself of his problematic brother. ||||||||
| 296 | 19 | "Seer" | James Quinn | Jill Goldsmith | April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23) | E3316 | 18.09 |
| The prime suspect in the murder of a woman outside a sex club claims to have merely witnessed the crime via a psychic vision. ||||||||
| 297 | 20 | "Kid Pro Quo" | David Platt | Eric Overmyer & Roz Weinman | April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30) | E3325 | 18.09 |
| The murder of an admissions director of a private school leads the detectives to investigate a pair of angry parents whose children were denied admission, but then they set their sights on the headmaster when they discover that the victim was about to go public with the denied admissions. ||||||||
| 298 | 21 | "House Calls" | Jace Alexander | Janis Diamond | May 7, 2003 (2003-05-07) | E3323 | 17.46 |
| The suspicious death of a Russian model leads the detectives to suspect medical malpractice. ||||||||
| 299 | 22 | "Sheltered" | Richard Dobbs | Terri Kopp | May 14, 2003 (2003-05-14) | E3324 | 18.33 |
| In a race against time, the detectives go on the hunt for a sniper whose victims are shot in broad daylight. ||||||||
| 300 | 23 | "Couples" | David Platt | Lorenzo Carcaterra | May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21) | E3317 | 16.01 |
| Briscoe and Green catch three murders and a kidnapping on the same day and get handed confessions in each case. ||||||||
| 301 | 24 | "Smoke" | Constantine Makris | S : Dick Wolf; T : Michael S. Chernuchin | May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21) | E3322 | 19.02 |
| Briscoe and Green are assigned to a case involving an eccentric comedian who may have killed his young son by dangling him off a ledge. ||||||||