Why Wasn’t Mehcad Brooks’ Det. Shaw in the Law & Order Crossover Event? (April 17, 2025)
Detectives from Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit were on the same big case in the latest crossover event, but there was one investigator who missed the drama.
The NYPD’s best and brightest joined forces in an epic Law & Order crossover event to try to bring down a terrifying predator, but there was one detective missing from the action.
The case — featured over a two-part “Play with Fire” set of episodes that debuts Thursday, April 17 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC — caught the attention of some of the department’s top brass, like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Law & Order’s Lieutenant Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney).
The women’s interrogation tactics had them facing off at times, but when the tension subsided, fans likely noticed that there was another investigator left off the case completely.
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Detective Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) was not in pursuit of the elusive killer and rapist on the loose.
To learn more about why Shaw was missing from the action and whether we’ll see him again this season, read on below.
Where was Det. Jalen Shaw in the Law & Order crossover?
Although Shaw’s absence was never explained in the two crossover episodes, he has recently been out of the precinct while battling an illness. It’s likely he was still using up some sick time while the investigation in the crossover played out.
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Who did Reid Scott's Det. Riley pair up with on the Law & Order crossover?
Luckily, since the Special Victims Unit was also on the case, Shaw’s partner Detective Vincent Riley (Reid Scott) teamed up with SVU detective Kate Silva, who reports to Benson, as the pair chased down one lead after another.
Shaw’s absence was first explained earlier on Season 24 of Law & Order in the “Folk Hero" episode. Riley told Brady at the time that his partner was “really sick” and had already spent hours at the ER waiting to get a chest scan.
Shaw was still off the roster in “A Perfect Family,” leading Riley and Brady to partner together to solve the murder of a 12-year-old girl.
The formidable investigator was back on the job in “Inherent Bias,” which directly preceded the crossover.
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When will Mehcad Brooks’ Det. Shaw be back on Law & Order?
The good news is that it doesn’t look like Shaw will be missing from the 27th Precinct for long.
Scott recently posted a candid snapshot on Instagram from the set with both Tierney and Brooks dressed in character inside the precinct.The three actors happily posed arm in arm while Tierney — who is usually much shorter than her co-stars — stood in the center on top of something that added some height, causing her to tower over the other two.
“What a way to wrap a season,” Scott captioned the image posted on April 10. “These two are the best. Lots of laughs with this crew, which def made the long hard days a hell of a lot brighter. Here’s to my squad at the 27!”
To catch the final episodes of Law & Order Season 24, tune in on Thursdays at 8/7c p.m. on NBC or stream episodes on Peacock the following day.
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