Arthur Branch (played by
Fred Dalton Thompson) replaced season 12's
Nora Lewin (
Dianne Wiest) in the role of District Attorney. The resulting ensemble cast was the most stable in the history of the
Law & Order series up to that time, being unchanged for 2 seasons over 48 episodes (Seasons 7 and 8 were the first seasons with no cast changes as well, however those seasons totaled 47 episodes). The longest period of cast stability overall encompassed the last four episodes of Season 18 and the entirety of Seasons 19 and 20, a total of 49 episodes.
Main Recurring Guest ==Episodes==