In its comeback after a short hiatus, the series Law & Order delves into an episode where Detective Riley finds himself in a challenging situation. The upcoming episode on April 3 revolves around the death of a young girl, which resonates deeply with the detective due to its personal implications. Actor Reid Scott recently shared insights about his character experiencing a strong reaction (or being “triggered”) and discussed how this storyline in the 2025 TV lineup fulfills a promise made by the writers regarding Riley’s backstory.
On April 3, NBC will broadcast an episode titled “A Perfect Family,” which will be available for streaming on Peacock the following day with a subscription. In this episode, Riley will strive to reconstruct the last moments of a student’s life before she tragically fell to her death. Reid Scott shared with TopMob that his character is set for an emotionally challenging hour as he navigates through this harrowing ordeal.
In this episode, Riley faces a particularly challenging situation as he’s sensitive towards cases involving violence against women, having shown this trait consistently during his time at the 27. Moreover, being a father makes him especially affected by cases involving young people. This case proves to be doubly distressing for him when it turns out that the victim is a 12-year-old girl. Riley, who usually manages his emotions effectively, seems surprisingly affected by this situation.
Having a strong reaction to instances of domestic violence aligns perfectly with the type of character that fits well within the universe of shows like “Law & Order: SVU”. However, it’s not often that the cases touch too personally on him. But when his colleague Dixon left, Riley could definitely relate. His professional life overlapped with his personal life earlier in Season 24, as his brother, played by Ryan Eggold from “New Amsterdam”, made an appearance. The events of “A Perfect Family” put additional strain on him, as Reid Scott explained: the situation was unique in its impact.
I truly relished delving into and experimenting with those themes, not just as an actor, but also as a parent myself. I was fortunate enough to draw upon some of my own parental experiences and incorporate them into certain scenes we were working on. This made the process even more enjoyable for me because not only were they captivating scenes to perform, but anything that deepens the background and personal aspects of our characters is intriguing to me, especially so.
Law & Order, with over 500 episodes and still going strong as a procedural series, doesn’t shy away from exploring deeper, character-focused storylines as well. Actor Reid Scott finds these moments particularly rewarding for his character, stating that he relishes the chance to explore the motivations behind his on-screen persona.
Before joining the team, I had previously discussed this particular aspect with the writers and producers. They expressed their desire to explore this element further, which immediately piqued my interest. After all, it’s a legendary show, but the opportunity to subtly alter its course, not completely reinventing it, but rather adding some new dimensions to it, was too intriguing to resist.
Scott’s remarks align with what Mehcad Brooks (Det. Shaw), as well as Hugh Dancy, hinted about Law & Order modernizing in its 24th season, and both actors delved into Price’s past hardships earlier this year. Now, it’s Riley’s turn to shine! The former Veep star added:
Participating in that movement inside the franchise was incredibly appealing to me. True to their promise, we discovered numerous possibilities within just this season. For instance, when we encountered my brother’s character, portrayed by Ryan Eggold, it provided us with a great deal of insight into Riley. And throughout various episodes, we learned much about his past and family life. However, it was in this particular episode that the experience truly resonated with me as I had the chance to act alongside an exceptionally talented young actress, who portrayed my on-screen daughter.
In the upcoming series “Chapelwaite”, Justine Colan will make her debut as Bridget Riley for the first time. Reid Scott, who plays her father’s character, spoke highly of Colan’s performance. He mentioned that having Bridget Riley as his daughter was presented in a way he found appealing because it allowed him to see their relationship on screen.
In my perspective as a film critic, working with Riley was an absolute delight. We struck up a fantastic camaraderie that made the set feel like home. I even had the chance to share a few of my classic dad jokes, lightening the mood and making things more comfortable for us both. What was remarkable, though, was the opportunity to delve into aspects of Riley’s character we haven’t seen before.
In this movie, he shows a side that is tender, heartfelt, and deeply emotional. We rarely see this vulnerability from him, as his professional demeanor usually keeps these feelings hidden. However, in this case, the storyline seemed to bring out his softer side, underscoring the importance of family values that lie at the core of who he is.
In this upcoming episode, viewers will get a glimpse into an unfamiliar aspect of Detective Riley that isn’t typically shown every week. It appears that the storyline could present a challenging situation for the character, but it proved to be a rewarding experience for the actor. Here’s a sneak peek at the preview to see what lies ahead:
Listen to NBC this coming Thursday, April 3rd at 8 PM Eastern Time for an episode titled “A Perfect Family” on Law & Order, followed by a revisit of Carisi’s harrowing experience on Law & Order: SVU at 9 PM ET. On April 17th, these two dramas will have a crossover event, marking a significant night for the franchise, as the Season 5 premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime returns to its original time slot of 10 PM ET after SVU. The rest of the season can be streamed exclusively on Peacock.
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2025-04-04 00:40