Season 1 (2001–02) Season 2 (2002–03) Season 3 (2003–04) •
Samantha Buck has a recurring role as
Detective Lynn Bishop from the episode "
Pravda" to "
Mad Hops" while
Kathryn Erbe was on maternity leave (though she occasionally appeared in the episodes). • Fred Berner joins as
executive producer.
Season 4 (2004–05) •
Chris Noth returns and reprises his role as Detective Mike Logan in the episode “Stress Position”
Season 5 (2005–06) •
Chris Noth (
Detective Mike Logan) and
Annabella Sciorra (
Detective Carolyn Barek) join the cast to alternate episodes with stars
Vincent D'Onofrio and
Kathryn Erbe, due to some health issues D'Onofrio had the previous season. • D'Onofrio, Erbe, Noth, and Sciorra work together on the two-part mid-season episode(s) "In The Wee Small Hours", with all four walking with
Jamey Sheridan (
Captain James Deakins) and
Courtney B. Vance (
A.D.A. Ron Carver) on screen during the opening credits. • Sciorra, Sheridan, and Vance depart the cast at the end of the season; no explanation was given for Sciorra and Vance's departure.
Season 6 (2006–07) •
Julianne Nicholson (
Detective Megan Wheeler) and
Eric Bogosian (
Captain Daniel Ross) join the cast. •
Warren Leight replaces
René Balcer as
showrunner.
Norberto Barba replaces Fred Berner as
executive producer. • The final season to air original episodes on
NBC.
Season 7 (2007–08) • The show moved this season to
USA Network to air original episodes. •
Alicia Witt joins the cast as
Detective Nola Falacci from the episode "
Seeds" to "
Senseless" while
Julianne Nicholson was on maternity leave. Nicholson returned in the episode "
Contract".
Season 8 (2009) •
Jeff Goldblum joins the cast as
Detective Zack Nichols, replacing
Chris Noth. •
Warren Leight is replaced by
Walon Green (Goren/Eames episodes) and
Robert Nathan (Nichols/Wheeler episodes) as showrunner. Nathan later left and was replaced by Ed Zuckerman.
Michael S. Chernuchin and
John David Coles also join as executive producer. This change in showrunners caused the season to be delayed from November 7, 2008, to January and February 2009 to the premiere date of April 19, 2009 and also to have the episodes aired out of chronological order. • At the end of the season,
Kathryn Erbe replaced
Julianne Nicholson who had to go on maternity leave. Nicholson opted not to return the following season.
Season 9 (2010) • A cast shake-up occurs where D'Onofrio, Erbe, and Bogosian depart the cast after the two-part premiere episode "
Loyalty", which features Goldblum, D'Onofrio, and Erbe working a special case together (a one-time-only opening credits for "Loyalty (Part 2)" featured these three actors together).
Saffron Burrows (
Detective Serena Stevens) joins the cast in the full-team investigation in "Loyalty (Part 2)" as a replacement for Nicholson (and replacing Erbe from episode 3 onwards).
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio joins the cast as
Captain Zoe Callas. •
Walon Green becomes the showrunner for all episodes. • At the end of the season, Goldblum, Burrows, and Mastrantonio depart the cast.
Season 10 (2011) • This final season sees a return to the single, original pairing of the first four seasons, as
Vincent D'Onofrio and
Kathryn Erbe rejoin the cast as
Detective Robert Goren and
Detective Alex Eames. •
Jeff Goldblum (
Detective Zack Nichols),
Saffron Burrows (
Detective Serena Stevens) and
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (
Captain Zoe Callas) did not return for this final season. •
Jay O. Sanders (
Captain Joseph Hannah) and
Julia Ormond (
Dr. Paula Gyson) join the cast, credited with "star" billing alongside D'Onofrio and Erbe. • This is the shortest season of the entire series with only 8 episodes. •
Chris Brancato takes over as showrunner and executive producer, replacing
Walon Green. == Home video releases ==