A former Law & Order star is returning to the show…with a twist.
Elisabeth Röhm, who previously starred as ADA Serena Southerlyn in Seasons 12 to 15 of the long-running drama, will direct a season 22 episode.
The episode will involve the murder of a crisis consultant with a lot of enemies.
This will be the first involvement of Röhm since her controversial exit from Law & Order in a scene that’s been debated by fans.
Showrunner Rick Eid is hopeful this will be the first of several reunions for Law & Order and hasn’t ruled out a possible return for Southerlyn.
While Röhm isn’t going to appear on camera here, it should be an intriguing return of a former major star for the series.
What is Elisabeth Röhm’s Law & Order episode about?
According to Give Me My Remote, the episode, which has no set air date, is entitled Only The Lonely.
The early synopsis states that the case involves “the murder of a high-level crisis consultant, who made many enemies in her career.”
Showrunner Ric Eid explained that Röhm had wanted to direct an episode of the series for some time.
“She’s been talking to me about directing an episode of Law & Order or FBI, and talking to the Wolf [Entertainment] people about it, [too]. We were glad we were able to make this happen.”
Law & Order has seen a few past faces returning as the Season 21 revival premiere featured Carey Lowell reprising her role as former ADA Jamie Ross.
Eid is hopeful for some more past Law & Order actors to return in some way for the revival series.
“I’d like to see all [of the] returning favorites come back to the show. I don’t know how feasible that is…but I’m confident that we will see some of our distinguished alumni on the show this season.”
While an on-screen return for Serena Southerlyn is unlikely, Law & Order fans will be happy to have Röhm involved with the show once more.
Who was Serena Southerlyn on Law & Order?
Introduced in Season 12, Serena Southerlyn was one of the longer-lasting Assistant District Attorneys on Law & Order.
Appearing in a total of 85 episodes, Southerlyn was known for her cool demeanor in court, although she could show some intensity aiding on cases.
While Southerlyn was a long-lasting character, she’s best known for her controversial exit in Season 15’s Ain’t No Love. At the end of a case, D.A. Arthur Branch dismissed Southerlyn, feeling she was too close to defendants on cases.
Out of nowhere, Southerlyn asked if this was because she was a lesbian, which Branch denied.
Given that there had been almost no clues or references to her sexuality, the moment caught viewers off-guard and has been a source of ridicule among Law & Order fans.
Röhm has kept busy since leaving Law & Order with roles on TV series such as Heroes, The Client List, and The Last Ship.
Röhm has also become a TV director, which included the Lifetime drama Girl In Room 13, which has the final performance of actress Anne Heche.
Law & Order Season 22 airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.