Who is the super tough new DA on ‘Law & Order?’

While every intense character is a big deal in Law & Order, the Manhattan District Attorney just might be the most important. They’re responsible for deciding the fates of some truly dangerous criminals. But just like IRL, being the DA on the Dick Wolf-created NBC procedural means a lot of power games, and the new DA in Law & Order season 23 is all about playing them.

Sam Waterston, who played Manhattan District Attorney Jack McCoy, exited the series in season 23, and he was definitely our favorite DA on the show so far. It’s hard not to be charmed by the adorable Waterston, even when he’s playing such an intense character. Previously, Steven Hill played DA Adam Schiff from seasons 1 through 10, and the talented Dianne Wiest portrayed interim DA Nora Levin in seasons 11 and 12. Fred Dalton Thompson then took over as DA Arthur Branch until Sam Waterston got the interim position in season 18.

Now there’s a new DA in town… or, uh, in the city. Who plays the DA on Law & Order and how did he first appear on the popular series?

Who is the next DA on Law & Order?

Tony Goldwyn plays the new District Attorney Nicolas Baxter on season 23 of Law & Order. He first appears in episode 7, titled “Balance of Power” after Jack McCoy’s exit. While at first we were super curious about the new DA on Law & Order, we breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing the talented Tony Goldwyn would be playing him; his great TV resume includes hit shows like The Hot Zone: Anthrax and, of course, Scandal.

While he’ll always be Fitz to us (sigh), Goldwyn is just as impressive as the tough-as-nails Baxter. As we could guess, no one seems particularly pleased that Baxter is here, especially not Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy). This is Law & Order, after all, and adding new characters doesn’t always go smoothly — where would the fun be in that? Baxter and Price fight for most of “Balance of Power” and throughout the rest of Law & Order season 23, they don’t agree with each other’s ideas.

In an interview with People, Tony Goldwyn joked about being the latest cast member to be added to the beloved Law & Order cast. He said, “It was funny, when I came in on episode 7, I guess of 13, it was a short season this year because of the strike. Reid Scott, who was the previous new guy at the beginning of the season, ‘Thank God I’m not the new guy anymore.’ But I still feel like the new guy.”

It’s nice to know that everyone gets nervous about feeling like the new kid at school or work —although we wonder if Goldwyn had someone to eat lunch with on his first day on set…

While Tony Goldwyn’s Law & Order character, DA Nicolas Baxter may be as prickly as the other main characters, he’s eager to start his new job. As we would expect, though, it’s hard to tell if Baxter really wants to help people or if he just wants to put people in jail and be done with each disturbing case.

Will Tony Goldwyn stay around for Law & Order season 24?

Tony Goldwyn will keep portraying the new DA Nicolas Baxter in Law & Order season 24. However, it’s definitely possible he’ll be replaced by someone else after that. While we can’t predict the future (unfortunately), each actor has played the Law & Order DA for at least a few seasons, so it seems Goldwyn will do the same.

It sounds like Goldwyn would be glad to continue playing Nicolas Baxter on Law & Order because, like us, he loves the series. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he discussed his history with the Law & Order franchise; besides appearing in Law & Order: Criminal Intent and also directing a Law & Order episode, he has been watching the OG series for a long time now.

When Law & Order returns for a seriously impressive season 23, we’re looking forward to seeing Tony Goldwyn again.