Law & Order

Season 17

Fame

1. Ed Green's first episode as senior detective.
2. Nina Cassady (Milena Govich) is the series' first, and only, female detective co-lead.
3. Dennis Farina's exit from the series at the end of the previous season is explained with the mention that Fontana retired.
4. The celebrity couple, Sky Sweet (Barbara King) and J-Train Smolka (Wayne Wilcox), are loosely based on the short and tumultuous relationship of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline (K-Fed).
5. California has the Unattended Child in Motor Vehicle Act "Kaitlyn's Law." New York has no such law. In 2019, Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed the legislation that would have prohibited children less than 10 years old being left unattended in a motor vehicle.
6. Milena Govich (Detective Nina Cassidy) played a completely different character in the Law & Order universe in the 2006 season. She played A.D.A. Jessica Rossi in Conviction (2006), a Dick Wolf series that followed members of the District Attorney's office.
7. This episode appears to be based on three separate cases/incidents:
   • The 2004 Britney Spears/Kevin Federline relationship scandal.
   • The 2005 Kate Moss drug use allegations.
   • The 2005 Lillo Brancato murder case.
8. Jesse L. Martin now gets the "starring" billing in the opening credits.
9. Jesse L. Martin and Wayne Wilcox (J-train) appeared together in Rent (2005).
10. Geoffrey Cantor would go on to play a respected journalist in Daredevil (2015).

Avatar

1. This episode appears to be based on the 2004 Rachelle Waterman case.
2. Devin Ratray (Richard Elam) previously played the role of Mitchell Pauley in episode 5.14, Performance (1995).
3. Robert Stanton has played four different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 2.2 The Wages of Love (1991) - Jed Knox.
   • Episode 8.4 Harvest (1997) - Jacob Sutter.
   • Episode 13.19 Seer (2003) - Tim Grayson.
   • Episode 17.2 Avatar (2006) - Douglas Preston.
4. Robert Stanton, and Devin Ratray previously starred together in Dennis the Menace (1993).

Home Sweet

1. This episode appears to be based on the July 2006 explosion of an Upper East Side brownstone owned by Dr. Nicholas Bartha.
2. Jenna Wechsler was murdered on June 19, 2006.
3. Robert Emmet Lunney played five different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 3.11 Extended Family (1993) - Harold Zorn (as Robert Emmet).
   • Episode 6.21 Pro Se (1996) - Frank Ellis (as Robert Emmet).
   • Episode 10.13 Panic (2000) - Dr. Samuel Bookman.
   • Episode 11.22 School Daze (2001) - Bill Semple.
   • Episode 17.3 Home Sweet (2006) - Miles Schaffner.

Fear America

1. This episode appears to be based on two separate cases/incidents:
   • The 2004 Toledo terrorism plot.
   • The life and death of Mohammad Salman Hamdani.
2. Richard Brooks' third (and final) guest appearance as Paul Robinette in the L&O Universe.

Public Service Homicide

1. The "Hard Focus" show is obviously based on Dateline NBC (1992)'s "To Catch a Predator".
2. This episode appears to be inspired by two separate ideas:
   • The TV trend for such shows as Dateline NBC (1992)'s To Catch a Predator segment.
   • The Perverted Justice Foundation.
3. Remy Auberjonois (Dr. Evan Fleming) also played the role of Bill Murphy in episode 20.2, Just a Girl in the World (2009).

Profiteer

1. This episode appears to be based on two separate incidents:
   • The 2005 Interceptor body armor package scandal.
   • The 2006 David H Brooks case. Brooks looted his body Armour company, DHB and spent $10 million on a bat mitzvah for his daughter where 50 Cent and Aerosmith performed for it.
2. Guest star John Boyd later star along side with Alana De La Garza as regular in FBI (2018).
3. In the scene where Jack McCoy says "rich people can get away with murder" he's referring to Patricia Hearst the woman who was kidnapped and an accomplice in the shooting of a bank customer

In Vino Veritas

1. "In vino veritas" is Latin for "in wine, truth", and loosely means that one under the influence of alcohol is more likely to speak their hidden feelings and desires.
2. The character of Barry Bishop was based off of longtime television interviewer Larry King.
3. Jennifer Esposito later played Phoebe Baker on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), in a recurring capacity. She was the former narcotics partner and love interest of Fin Tutuola.
4. This is the fourth and final appearance of José Zúñiga in this series as of January 10th, 2023.
5. Mark Zimmerman has played five different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 2.17 Sisters of Mercy (1992) - Polygraph Tester.
   • Episode 3.17 Conduct Unbecoming (1993) - Mooren.
   • Episode 6.18 Atonement (1996) - Frederick Scannel.
   • Episode 8.2 Denial (1997) - Judge Nathan Murray.
   • Episode 11.15 Swept Away - A Very Special Episode (2001) - Lawyer for Gavin.
   • Episode 14.2 Bounty (2003) onwards - Judge Nathan Murphy.
6. Patrick Boll has played four different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 4.15 Kids (1994) - Newsman.
   • Episode 6.7 Humiliation (1995) - Rick Sidney.
   • Episode 17.7 In Vino Veritas (2006) - Barry Bishop.
   • Episode 18.10 Tango (2008) - Allan Liscomb.
7. Bill Walters played three different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 14.4 Shrunk (2003) - ND Background.
   • Episode 17.7 In Vino Veritas (2006) - Courtroom Spectator.
   • Episode 19.21 Skate or Die (2009) - Murdered Homeless Guy.

Release

1. This episode appears to be based on the 2006 criminal cases brought against Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis.

Deadlock

1. This episode appears to be based on several different cases/incidents:
   • The 2006 West Nickel Mines School shooting.
   • The 2000 Wendy's massacre. Five people were killed during a robbery at a New York City Wendy's. One of the killers was sentenced to death but New York State's highest court overturned the death penalty in New York in 2004, which commuted the killer's sentence to life in prison.
   • The 2004 People v. John Taylor case and subsequent legislative efforts to reinstate the capital punishment law in New York.
   • The 1986-1989 escape and killing spree of Allan Legere.

Corner Office

Remains of the Day

1. This episode appears to be based on four separate cases/incidents:
   • The 2006 death of Daniel Smith, the son of Anna Nicole Smith.
   • The 2005 Biomedical Tissue Services body part theft scandal.
   • The 1985 Winston v. Lee case.
   • The Criticism of the U.S. healthcare system at the time this episode aired.
2. Trish McCall (Tanya Carter) previously played the role of Nancy Shapiro in episode 4.13, Married with Children (2004).
3. This episode borrows its title from Kazuo Ishiguro's Booker prize-winning novel and the Oscar nominated The Remains of the Day (1993) starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.
4. Kate Hodge (Attorney Prescott) also played the role of Serena Kensey in episode 20.10, Shotgun (2009).
5. Mariel Hemingway's sister Margaux Hemingway committed suicide and died on the 1st July 1996 age 42, taking an overdose of a sedative, phenobarbital (she was the fifth person in the Hemingway family to commit suicide).

Charity Case

1. This episode appears to be based on the 2006 foreign adoption scandal involving pop singer Madonna.
2. When Green alerts Cassady of Mogae's attempted escape he called her Melina not Nina.

Talking Points

1. A year before airing, Louis Cancelmi (Malcolm Yates), married Elisabeth Waterston, Sam Waterston's daughter. He is also the brother of Annie Parisse, who played A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia for 33 episodes.
2. This episode appears to be based on the 2006 Ann Coulter controversies.

Church

1. The rule that E.A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and A.D.A. Connie Rubirosa (Alana De La Garza) mention about churches losing their tax-exempt status if they become political organizations is section 501(c) of the United States Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)), specifically, 501(c)(3).
2. This episode appears to be based on the 2006 Ted Haggard scandal.
3. Anson Mount (Reverend James Sterling) and Milena Govich (Detective Nina Cassady) were in another show together in the Law & Order Universe. They played A.D.A. Jim Steele and A.D.A. Jessica Rossi respectively, who were colleagues in the District Attorney's office, in the Dick Wolf show Conviction (2006).

Melting Pot

1. This episode appears to be based on two separate cases/incidents:
   • The 2006 Adrienne Shelly case. Shelly was murdered by an illegal Ecuadorian construction worker named Diego Pillco on November 1, 2006. Shelly previously played Wendy Alston in High & Low (2000).
   • The career and 2004 assassination of Theo van Gogh.
2. Jason Kolotouros has portrayed three different characters throughout the series:
   • Episode 8.21 Bad Girl (1998) - Tilden.
   • Episode 11.2 Turnstile Justice (2000) - Dr. Sanders.
   • Episode 13.1 American Jihad (2002) - Derek Greer.
   • Episode 13.14 Star Crossed (2003) - Derek Greer.
   • Episode 14.7 Floater (2003) - Derek Greer.
   • Episode 17.15 Melting Pot (2007) - Derek Greer.
3. Anthony Mangano has played four different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 6.8 Angel (1995) - Sluizer.
   • Episode 8.4 Harvest (1997) - Palacio.
   • Episode 13.7 Open Season (2002) - Public Officer Vitelli.
   • Episode 17.15 Melting Pot (2007) - Sal Garcetti.

Murder Book

1. This episode appears to be based on the 1994 O.J. Simpson murder case and his controversial 2007 book "If I Did It".
2. Damian Young has played five different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 10.8 Blood Money (1999) - Daniel Catterson.
   • Episode 11.4 Standoff (2000) - Benson White.
   • Episode 14.20 Everybody Loves Raimondo's (2004) - Counselor Sizemore - Sonny King's attorney.
   • Episode 17.16 Murder Book (2007) - Judge Stephen Emerton.
   • Episode 20.20 The Taxman Cometh (2010) - Bruce Graham.

Good Faith

1. E.A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) tells Jacob Reese (Jeffrey Donovan) that he broke the fifth commandment when he committed murder. In most religions, the commandment against murder is the sixth, except in Roman Catholicism. However, McCoy has been described by executive producer Dick Wolf as a lapsed Catholic, and in this scene he shows his roots.
2. This is the last of 13 appearances by defense attorney Danielle Melnick (Tovah Feldshuh), in the original Law and Order series. The character also appeared in the series finale of Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001).
3. Jeffrey Donovan, who plays the defendant, went on to become an L&O regular in season 21, playing Detective Frank Cosgrove.
4. This episode appears to be based on two separate cases/incidents:
   • The 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District case.
   • The 2006 Alabama church fires.
5. The daughter, Sarah Ramos, is currently in another Dick Wolf show "Chicago Med".

Bling

1. Multiple references are made to a black rap mogul hanging an artist from a window in exchange for compensation. This is an obvious reference to Suge Knight and Vanilla Ice.
2. The name Roxy Black is derived from the real-life rapper Foxy Brown.
3. Peter McRobbie plays Judge Walter Bradley in this and 13 other episodes. Previously, he played the part of four other characters:
   • Episode 1.21 Sonata for Solo Organ (1991) - Manager.
   • Episode 3.9 Point of View (1992) - John Ennis.
   • Episode 5.11 Guardian (1995) - Herbert Fowler.
   • Episode 8.23 Tabloid (1998) - Dr. Thomas Neustadt.
   • Episode 11.9 Hubris (2001) onwards - Judge Walter Bradley.

Fallout

1. Hall of Fame tennis pro Billie Jean King appears as an arraignment judge.
2. Only time that Jack McCoy's daughter appears.
3. This episode appears to be based on several different cases/incidents:
   • The 1978 Georgi Markow poisoning case.
   • The 2004 Viktor Yushchenko poisoning case.
   • The 2006 Alexander Litvinenko poisoning case.
   • The ongoing concern of sex trafficking in Russia.
   • The 1962 prisoner exchange between Rudolf Ivanovich Abel and Francis Gary Powers.
4. Daniel Oreskes has played six different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 5.23 Pride (1995) - Durban Campaign Manager.
   • Episode 7.2 I.D. (1996) - Jack Maslin.
   • Episode 8.18 Stalker (1998) - Mr. Wilson.
   • Episode 11.24 Deep Vote (2001) - Jeff Waites.
   • Episode 13.20 Kid Pro Quo (2003) - Merrill Rush.
   • Episode 17.19 Fallout (2007) - Andrei Karpovich.

Captive

1. This episode appears to be based on the 2007 Michael J. Devlin case.
2. Angela Reed (Mindy Morgan) previously played the role of Amanda Hiller in episode 12.21, Foul Play (2002).

Over Here

1. This episode appears to be based on the 2007 Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal.
2. This is the third appearance of Mike Pniewski in this series as of January 10th, 2023 and he has appeared in several other Law and Order franchise episodes.

The Family Hour

1. This was the final appearance by Fred Thompson (D.A. Arthur Branch). The actor left the series to pursue the Republican nomination for the 2008 presidential election.
2. This is the last episode with Milena Govich as Detective Nina Cassady and Fred Thompson as D.A. Arthur Branch. After rejecting McCoy's resignation letter, Branch comments that someday the D.A. chair would be empty. McCoy's response that he's not a politician is prescient for Season 18, when McCoy is appointed as acting D.A. for the remainder of Branch's term. The only reference to Cassady's impending departure is a minor rebuke by Van Buren during an interrogation.
3. A bearded Jeremy Sisto appears as defense attorney Clint Glover. In the following season (in fact, the very next episode), with some other major casting changes, he is cast as Detective Cyrus Lupo.
4. Alana De La Garza & Jeremy Sisto would later star together on FBI (2018).
5. The crime novel "Two-Lane Blacktop" by Lance Drury does not exist.