I’ve Been Waiting For Law And Order To Finally Introduce Mehcad Brooks’ Replacement, But The Delay Was Worth It For David Ajala’s Debut

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Be warned: this contains spoilers for the seventh episode of Law & Order Season 25, titled “Guardian.” You can watch it the day after it airs with a Peacock subscription.

The long-running series Law & Order began its 25th season in September with a change to the cast. Mehcad Brooks, who played Detective Jalen Shaw, left the show over the summer, and his departure wasn’t addressed on screen. This left Brady and Riley short-handed. After waiting since the season premiere for a new detective to join the team, David Ajala finally debuted as Detective Theo Walker in mid-November, and honestly, the wait was worth it.

I found it amusing that the episode where Shaw’s replacement was introduced was called “Guardian,” considering Mehcad Brooks previously played a superhero with that same name on Supergirl. Unfortunately, the actual case was quite serious, especially for Walker, who was handling his first homicide investigation after working drug-related crimes. The story began with the murder of a promising young athlete, and several people stood out as potential suspects, all of whom could have profited from his success.

Riley and Walker worked together for the first time, and the new partnership proved effective when Walker successfully questioned the wife of the main suspect, uncovering vital details that helped Nolan and Maroun build their case against Pickett for murder. However, Walker later admitted to misleading the prosecutors about video footage. While not illegal, Riley confronted Walker about his dishonesty.

Look, I knew Shaw pretty well back in the day, and honestly, I agreed with Walker – the guy they convicted did do it. But I immediately told Walker I wasn’t going to play along with his whole ‘go it alone’ routine. I mean, I said…

Either we do this thing together, or you gotta find a different partner.

Riley and Shaw didn’t immediately click, so Brady wanted to know how the new team member was adjusting. David Ajala’s character wasn’t received as warmly as Mehcad Brooks was when he joined the team, or even as well as Reid Scott was when he took over his role. This was in contrast to how the team reacted when Anthony Anderson’s Kevin Bernard and Jeffrey Donovan’s Frank Cosgrove were replaced.

What I appreciated about the first episode featuring Detective Walker was that he didn’t immediately join the main squad. This helped the show avoid feeling like it was simply replacing a previous character, and the initial friction with his new colleagues actually made me more eager to see him become a true part of the team. The delayed premiere allowed the introduction of Walker to feel natural and earned, rather than just a quick fix to fill a void.

I was also really looking forward to seeing David Ajala as the detective. He’s known for his work in a lot of different kinds of shows and movies, like Star Trek: Discovery, Jupiter Ascending, and Supergirl.

Okay, so here’s the slightly sad news for all you Law & Order fans: we’re down to just one episode this season! That means we won’t get a ton more of Detective Walker, played by Ajala, before the show takes a break. The fall finale airs next week, November 20th at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC, and then we have a bit of a wait – Law & Order won’t be back on our screens until January 8th, 2026. Yes, you read that right – 2026! It’s a long hiatus, but hopefully, it’ll be worth it.

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2025-11-14 07:08