Law & Order Guest Just Debuted Her Sixth Character In The Franchise, But Fans Might Know Her Better From A Different Dick Wolf Show

Warning: spoilers are ahead for the latest episode of NBC's Law & Order Season 25 in the 2026 TV schedule, called “Bright Lights” and available streaming now with a Peacock subscription.

Rarely does an episode of Law & Order or Law & Order: SVU air without a guest star or two who already has at least one credit within the same franchise, with a very long list of returnees that even includes series regulars like Tony Goldwyn and Kelli Giddish. As somebody who has watched more episodes in the franchise than I care to count, I always enjoy when I recognize somebody from another Law & Order entry. This week, one guest debuted her sixth Law & Order character, but I found myself recognizing her from another show set within the Dick Wolf world.

The familiar face in “Bright Lights” was Susan Misner, playing attorney Allison Whitt, who was tasked with defending a husband accused of murdering his wife. As tends to happen with defense attorneys going up again ADA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy), the accused was found guilty by the end of the hour, marking a loss for Misner’s character in the courtroom. Coming back for this episode definitely wasn’t a loss for the actress, however, as it was nearly two decades after her first Law & Order appearance and marks her sixth character. Check out the full list:

1. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 1, Episode 3: Becky Stark (2001)
2. Law & Order: SVU Season 4, Episode 7: Ronnie Marshall (2002)
3. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 5, Episode 5: Sister Olivia
4. Law & Order Season 17, Episode 10: Samara Weaver (2006)
5. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 8, Episode 9: Mary Devildis
6. Law & Order Season 25, Episode 15: Allison Whitt (2026)

As of Allison Whitt, Susan Misner has officially played more Law & Order characters than David Harbour, who portrayed five within the franchise before becoming a household name as Hopper in Stranger Things. She won’t be breaking any records for stars who appeared in the most episodes of Law & Order, but six characters across three shows over a quarter century is pretty impressive.

But if you, like me, have also watched the CBS side of the Dick Wolf TV universe, you might not have had the flash of recognition because of one of Susan Misner’s first five Law & Order franchise characters. The actress is fresh off of a two-season arc on FBI: Most Wanted, including having a key role in the series finale after Most Wanted was cancelled last year.

As Abby Deaver, Misner guaranteed that Remy (Law & Order: Organized Crime's Dylan McDermott) got a happy ending with the kind of closure that the cast of FBI: International didn’t get. And with nine installments of FBI: Most Wanted behind her, Misner played Abby for more episodes than she did any of her six Law & Order franchise characters. All within the Dick Wolf world!

Suffice it to say that if you’re a stickler about actors never playing more than one character in one TV world, you might not enjoy any of the Law & Order shows, any of the FBI shows, any of the One Chicago shows, and/or CIA as the newest entry on CBS. That said, there’s a reason why Law & Order (and SVU) have been running for more than a quarter century each at this point, and I for one am going to continue keeping an eye out for familiar faces.

New episodes of Law & Order air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, ahead of Law & Order: SVU at 9 p.m. ET. The two shows are going on brief breaks until returning on April 2. In the meantime, you can revisit earlier episodes both via a Hulu subscription and a Peacock subscription.