Law & Order

Season 15

Paradigm

1. According to Dick Wolf, Det. Joe Fontana is named after Wolf's old friend, producer Tom Fontana.
2. Dennis Farina's first appearance as Detective Joe Fontana.
3. After meeting Fontana, Green says to Van Buren "...wasn't sure if he was a cop or a wiseguy". Dennis Farina was a cop in Chicago before becoming an actor, and in his film debut, Michael Mann's Thief (1981), he has a small role as the henchman of a mobster.
4. Serena asks Jack if the decision from a judge was close. Jack responds, "More like the Yankees and the Red Sox. It's inevitable the Red Sox won't be there when it counts but they still have to play all the games." This episode aired on September 22nd, 2004. On October 20th, the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, after being down in the series, 3-0. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series a week later, for the first time in 86 years, after sweeping the Saint Louis Cardinals.
5. Nadira Latif Harrington was born on April 14, 1975.

The Dead Wives Club

1. The trademark "donk-donk" sound first appears in this episode during the introductory segment before the opening credits - very unusual for an episode of "Law and Order".

The Brotherhood

Coming Down Hard

1. A ''ripped from the headlines'' episode inspired by the 2001 case of Kansas City pharmacist Robert R. Courtney. Courtney was sentenced in 2003 to 30 years in prison for diluting chemotherapy drugs to increase his profit margin. During his nine-year scam, as many as 4,200 patients received the diluted drugs.

Gunplay

Cut

1. Fontana and Dr. Lawrence's receptionist bond over being Chicago natives and Cubs fans. Dennis Farina actually was a Cubs fan in real life.

Gov Love

1. This episode is ripped from three different headlines: The scandalous resignation of New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey (which became effective five days after this episode aired), a scandal involving Connecticut Governor John Rowland (also resulting in his own resignation), and the brief period of gay marriages that were permitted at the direction of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and later annulled by the California Supreme Court - all in 2004.

Cry Wolf

1. The fictional Christoff, founder of the Ministers of Justice, radio "shock jock", and target of attempted murder, has several similarities to the real-life Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, radio host, and target of attempted murder.

All in the Family

1. The plot echoes in some aspects the real life case of Mazoltuv Borukhova, a Bukharan Jewish widow accused of hiring her husband's killer.

Enemy

1. Guillermo Diaz is on of people in the photo line up with the female shooting victim. He is in the second set in the bottom right corner.

Fixed

1. This episode revisits the events of Law & Order: Indifference (1990), which focuses on the murder trial of Dr. Jacob Lowenstein and his wife Carla Lowenstein. Both David Groh and Marcia Jean Kurtz reprise their roles from 14 years earlier while Dann Florek makes a guest appearance as Captain Donald Cragen, who was a regular cast member of Law & Order (1990) at the time of that episode. It is interesting to note that twice in this episode there are references to Jacob Lowenstein having previously made a deal for manslaughter. However, in "Indifference", a jury found him guilty of second degree murder.
2. Episode #15.11 was noteworthy as it featured Noah Dize's 1st appearance as 'Concerned/Blurry Audience Member in Blue Shirt', a role that soon took on a life of its own.

Mammon

1. The title is from the the Christian Bible meaning "...material wealth or greed...". Mammon was sometimes personified as a god and derives from the ancient Middle Eastern, and ancient Greek word meaning the same. The title is also just one letter different from "Ammon", the last name of multimillionaire Ted Ammon whose murder the story is loosely based. The plot also includes elements from Ammon's murder, including; a security system and its hard-drive as evidence; a contractor suspect having an affair with the victim's wife; an artist wife who may have played a part in the murder and whose premature death complicated the case; and rumors of the victim's homosexuality; among other details.
2. Tracie Thoms appears in this episode. She was in the cast of the 2005 movie "Rent" with Jesse L. Martin.
3. Daniel Sunjata (Kenny Tremont) and Andrea Roth (Mrs. Emmerson) also worked together on Rescue Me, whose first episode aired 5 months before this one.
4. Daniel Sunjata, who plays the episode's murder suspect, had a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as a CSU technician.

Ain't No Love

1. This episode is "ripped from the headlines" of the Jason Mizzel ' Jam Master Jay' shooting.
2. This episode marks Elizabeth Rohm's final appearance on the series as ADA Serena Southerlyn.
3. Elizabeth Rohm's mid-season departure is only the second in the history of the series. The first was the departure of Paul Sorvino 12 years before.
4. When it originally aired, the episode's ending was heavily criticized for revealing the fact that Serena is gay so nonchalantly, since there had been no mention of her sexual orientation before.
5. Branch's firing of Serena is referenced four months later in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) episode Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Goliath (2005), when Branch yells at Casey Novak "Do I need to remind you that I've been known to fire people?".
6. At the end of this episode, Branch dismisses Serena Southerlyn explaining that she is too emotional (and sympathetic toward the defendant). Interestingly, many fans were glad to see her character finally go, citing Elisabeth Röhm's portrayal of ADA Southerlyn as lacking emotion. Some described her as "cold and robotic."

Fluency

1. First appearance of Annie Parisse as A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia.

Obsession

1. This episode is loosely based on Celeste Beard, convicted of cospiracy to murder her husband, Steven Beard who, at 75, was rich and more than twice her age. The shotgun trigger was actually pulled in 1999 by Tracey Tarlton who alleged that she was Celeste's lesbian lover. The pair met at a mental health facility treating clients with depression. Tracey made a plea deal, testifying that Celeste manipulated her into killing Steven by claiming he was abusive.
2. The film maker that Green and Fontana interview, based upon his appearance and confrontational approach to film making, was meant to resemble controversial documentarian Michael Moore.

The Sixth Man

1. The subplot involving a brawl between basketball players and fans was inspired by a real-life incident which involved the Indiana Pacers, the Detroit Pistons, and several Pistons fans on 19 November 2004.
2. In addition to the infamous "Malice at the Palace" Pacers-Pistons Brawl in 2004, the episode also references another real-life NBA incident for one of its plot points. Inwood's former coach testifies that he choked him during a practice in front of his teammates, and did so to the extent that he passed out. In 1997, Warriors All-Star Latrell Sprewell attacked head coach P.J. Carlesimo in a very similar fashion, not once but twice; the altercation made national headlines and the resulting uproar ultimately led to the team voiding the remainder of Sprewell's contract.

License to Kill

Dining Out

1. The episode "Dining Out" from season 15 features the set from the Food Network series "30 Minute Meals" starring Rachael Ray.

Sects

Tombstone

Publish and Perish

1. Jesse L. Martin was absent from the last four episodes of the fifteenth season. He left the show temporarily to work on Rent (2005). His character, Det. Green, was shot in the line of duty. For those four episodes, Martin was replaced by Michael Imperioli as Det. Falco.
2. The MacLaren character is based on Bernard Kerik, a 2000-2001 NYC police commissioner. In 2004 George W. Bush nominated Kerik to head Homeland Security, but Kerik soon withdrew his nomination when scrutiny revealed he had employed an illegal immigrant as his children' s nanny. He also became the target of both state and federal investigations, was convicted of several charges, and sentenced to four years in federal prison.

Sport of Kings

1. Jesse L. Martin was absent from the last four episodes of the fifteenth season. He left the show temporarily to work on Rent (2005). His character, Det. Green, was shot in the line of duty. For those four episodes, Martin was replaced by Michael Imperioli as Det. Falco.

In God We Trust

1. Jesse L. Martin was absent from the last four episodes of the fifteenth season. He left the show temporarily to work on Rent (2005). His character, Det. Green, was shot in the line of duty. For those four episodes, Martin was replaced by Michael Imperioli as Det. Falco.
2. Justin Lennard was murdered on April 7, 1996.

Locomotion

1. Jesse L. Martin was absent from the last four episodes of the fifteenth season. He left the show temporarily to work on Rent (2005). His character, Det. Green, was shot in the line of duty. For those four episodes, Martin was replaced by Michael Imperioli as Det. Falco.