The Law & Order cast changes at the center of season 26 are simple and timely: the show starts Thursday, October 8 at 10pm ET/PT, Reid Scott is stepping away, and James Badge Dale is set to join later in the season. For viewers of NBC and Peacock, that means the rollout begins on a fixed Thursday slot, with the streaming side following on Friday.
October 8 on NBC
Thursday, October 8 puts the new season back in its usual prime-time lane at 10pm ET/PT, with NBC carrying the broadcast and Peacock handling streaming. That split gives cable viewers and streaming users the same premiere window, just on different platforms.
Every Friday after the premiere, new episodes will be available on Peacock. Viewers who want a cheaper path into that stream can use Walmart+, which is offering a 30-day trial for $1 and includes a choice of Paramount+ or Peacock. FuboTV and YouTube TV also carry NBC, which keeps the live option open for people who have cut traditional cable.
Reid Scott Steps Away
Reid Scott is the cast change that lands first. He is stepping away from Law & Order, while James Badge Dale enters the season at some point later in the run. That sequence matters because it tells viewers the show is not replacing one face with another on day one; the cast shift is staggered across the season.
Lt. Jessica Brady is back in the mix interrogating suspects, Detective Theo Walker has a high-speed chase to handle, and D.A. Nicholas Baxter is still pushing the show’s New York side of the story, telling colleagues to “protect the people of New York.” The trailer also places the team in the 27th Precinct, which keeps the season anchored in the show’s familiar operating space.
Australia Has No Plan
Australia is the complication in this rollout. There is currently no release plan or broadcast lined up there, even though past seasons of Law & Order have aired on 7Plus. Viewers abroad may need A VPN if they are trying to reach the usual streaming setup from outside the United States.
James Badge Dale is the season’s open question, and that is the part worth watching. His arrival later in season 26 tells you the writers are treating the cast change as a midseason reset rather than a headline-only swap, which is usually where a long-running TV procedural either steadies its rhythm or shows strain.
