After Law And Order Recruited Joshua Malina For A Scandal Reunion, I’m Flashing Back To Tony Goldwyn’s Comments About Celebrities Who Want To Play Corpses On His Show

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The popular show Law & Order will return for its 25th season in Fall 2025, even after losing one of its main actors. The next episode will feature a reunion between Tony Goldwyn and Joshua Malina, former co-stars from the show Scandal. Goldwyn, now in his third season playing District Attorney Nick Baxter, still feels like a newcomer. Seeing the two actors together brought to mind Goldwyn’s comments about guest stars on the show – and why those guest stars probably prefer not to play dead bodies, a surprisingly common occurrence.

Just because Joshua Malina appears in an upcoming episode of Law & Order on October 23 (available to stream on Peacock the next day) doesn’t mean his character will die. In fact, the promotional materials didn’t even mention a reunion with his Scandal co-star until Malina and Goldwyn posted a playful video referencing their time on Scandal and a famous line from The West Wing. Check it out here:

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If you haven’t seen The West Wing, Scandal, or Law & Order very closely, the joke has a few levels. First, Tony Goldwyn played the President on Scandal. Second, Joshua Malina had a memorable, awkward encounter with the President on The West Wing. And third, both Malina and Goldwyn played lawyers – Malina on Scandal and Goldwyn on Law & Order.

Joshua Malina is a familiar face, which made me think back to conversations I had with Tony Goldwyn and Hugh Dancy about Season 25 of Law & Order. Mariska Hargitay, from Law & Order: SVU, once mentioned that many celebrities want to appear as a corpse on her show, and it seems that’s also the case with the original Law & Order series.

Dancy noted that celebrities frequently prefer to play dead characters, and Goldwyn added that…

It’s awful being considered dead. You’re just stuck lying still for what feels like forever, and suddenly you find yourself cold and exposed, like lying out in the winter.

Actors on Law & Order who play victims often face uncomfortable conditions when filming their death scenes. It’s rarely convenient or comfortable to pretend to be dead for extended periods. Hugh Dancy playfully agreed with Tony Goldwyn, suggesting that characters should at least be killed during warmer months.

Goldwyn explained that he often doesn’t know in advance who will be guest starring on the show. However, he also mentioned that a performer who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award has expressed interest in making an appearance. He shared this with me, saying:

I always review the daily call sheets—basically, the schedule for who’s working each day. It’s amazing to see familiar faces and actors I’ve long respected listed there. For example, Jennifer Hudson actually expressed how much she wants to be on Law & Order, so I talked to showrunner Rick Eid about the possibility.

Even though Goldwyn might not have the complete cast list when he first receives the call sheet, it would be surprising if he didn’t know he’d be working with Joshua Malina again, considering they acted together on Scandal for seven seasons. Regarding the difference between the ongoing storylines of Scandal and the case-of-the-week format of Law & Order, Goldwyn explained:

Viewers can expect more personal drama, including family connections becoming part of the storyline, outside relationships causing problems at work, and the tensions between us as individuals playing out on screen.

Don’t miss an all-new episode of Law & Order on NBC this Thursday, October 23rd at 8 p.m. Eastern, featuring a guest appearance by Joshua Malina. It’s followed by Law & Order: SVU at 9 p.m. Eastern, with a special guest star who’s a longtime fan of the series. Both episodes will also be available to stream on Peacock starting Fridays.

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2025-10-24 02:39