Camryn Manheim believes it when she claims that rejoining the reboot of “Law & Order” takes her “full circle.”
The Emmy nominee for “The Practice” has 3 distinct guest appearances on executive producer Dick Wolf’s long-running, franchise-spawning drama series.
She returns as a regular for what NBC is billing as the show’s 21st season beginning Thursday, cementing Wolf’s “Chicago” and “FBI” traditions by kicking off an al
l-“Law & Order” night that also features the “Special Victims Unit” and “Organized Crime” spinoffs.
“Law & Order” has cast Manheim as Lt. Kate Dixon, the New York police detectives leader played by new series member Anthony Anderson and “Burn Notice” alum Jeffrey Donovan.
Sam Waterston reprises his role as District Attorney Jack McCoy, while the series welcomes new prosecutors Hugh Dancy (“Hannibal”) and Odelya Halevi (“Good Trouble”).
“I’d recently graduated from New York University with a master’s degree, and like every other New York actor, it was my ambition to get a guest appearance on ‘Law & Order.’
I worked extensively in off-Broadway theatre, and everyone included a thank-you note in their program bio at the conclusion; they’d note how frequently they’d been on ‘Law & Order.’
I couldn’t say that for several years, and it was probably one of my happiest moments when I was able to add, ‘” Law & Order”: One episode.’ Following that, ‘Two episodes.’ Following that, ‘Three episodes.’
“I’m not going to lie,” Manheim admitted, “I’m still in a state of shock.” I’m relocating from Los Angeles to New York for this show, and I would not have done it for any other.
‘Law & Order’ holds a special place in my heart, and not just for me, but the entire city of New York. It is an actor’s dream to appear on it; a crew member’s life is shaped, revitalizing the city. It’s quite meaningful to me.”
Dixon is virtually the replacement for Lt. Anita Van Buren, who was portrayed for most of the original shows run by S. Epatha Merkerson (now starring on NBC’s and producer Wolf’s “Chicago Med”).
“I believe it takes a special kind of woman to hold down this fort and ensure that everything runs smoothly,” Manheim explained, noting that Dixon “has to keep the district attorney’s office happy, the police chief happy, and she has to get her detectives to do their jobs: And I believe that with how bossy I am in general, they sensed that I could bring her to life.”