Maura Tierney’s been a staple on TV for 30 years since with strong roles in the sitcom NewsRadio, the long-running medical hit ER, the firefighter dramedy Rescue Me, and the mystery The Affair, among them. Now she’s joining one of television’s longest-running shows, Law & Order, when it returns on Thursday, October 3 for its 24th season. She’s playing Lt. Jessica Brady, the new chief of the NYPD’s homicide unit replacing Lt. Kate Dixon (Camryn Manheim) who ably ran the ship for three seasons.
Tierney shares her very happy thoughts about joining the mothership of the venerable Law & Order franchise as the very confident new lieutenant Jessica Brady.
Congrats on your movie hit Twisters and, of course, your new role in Law & Order, the OG of Dick Wolf’s procedurals, we might say.
Maura Tierney: Yes, it is.
Is this the first time you’ve done one of Wolf’s procedurals? So many accomplished actors had early roles in one of the Law & Order show; often as victims, sometimes as villains.
Yes, this is the first time. No, wait! I was on the show in the ’90s when I was first starting out. But that was the only time I’ve ever worked on a Dick Wolf show.
Can you remember the story and who you played? [She guest starred in the 1991 episode “Aria” as Patti Blaine.]
Yes. I played a young woman whose sister had committed suicide because our mother forced my sister to do pornography. She was a stage mother.
Well, that’s dark. Have you ever played a cop before?
I have not! I’m excited to play one.
What drew you to the role of Lt. Jessica Brady on the show?
I’d say one of the things that drew me to the show was that I have never played a cop before! [Laughs] I was also very interested when I spoke to the creatives and they were excited about adjusting the show a little bit and making it a little quicker pace. I feel like it was a nice time to join the show. I really admire the cast, and it seemed like the show is having a moment, and it would be good to be part of it.
How would you describe Lieutenant Brady?
I would say that she is kind of an extremely disciplined, very demanding boss who has a lot of confidence in what she does and doesn’t really expect anybody to question her decision-making because she is usually right. [Laughs]
Her predecessor Lt Kate Dixon was popular in the unit. How is Brady received? Does she have an enemy –or an ally?
Nobody likes her at the moment. [Laughs] She just started and I think nobody explained to the rest of the precinct that she was coming in. I don’t think it’s Brady’s fault necessarily; she wasn’t expected. Brady doesn’t really want to make friends, she just wants to be respected. She’s greeted with a certain amount of mistrust. She’s not mean, she is just very good at her job. Hopefully, we’ll address that and those relationships will change.
I hear she’s very hands-on and sometimes even out in the field, though she’s a lieutenant. Does she do interrogations, get out of the office?
She is more hands-on; she likes to be part of the action. Also, she’s very good at interrogating people. I don’t know if she trusts the detectives yet to do it on their own. So yes, she’s out in the field and more active with the suspects.
Scott Gries/NBC
What is her first case?
It is sort of a high-profile case in the world of the show because a Brooklyn prosecutor has been murdered. So there’s a lot of pressure on the character to get answers and get a conviction because it’s like one of them, quote-unquote, who has been killed rather brutally. So as soon as she starts her job, there are a lot of people breathing down her neck. She wants to get it solved as soon as possible and will do everything she can, including inserting herself more into the process. I feel like the character thinks she’s capable of a lot.
Does Brady have a personal life, a family?
She does, but it’s still being developed. I would say, however, her personal life is a little less disciplined than her professional life. She’s got a few issues.
Looking forward to that. Did you work with Mariska Hargitay’s SVU Capt. Olivia Benson in her crossover spot on L&O (airing October 10)?
I did! It was really fun. She has such a big, warm personality and it’s great to work with her because she’s been doing this work for such a long time and clearly has a mastery of it. It was a nice learning experience.
What kind of interaction has Lt. Brady had with the DA and/or the ADAs?
I got to work with Hugh Dancy [who plays Senior Assistant DA Nolan Price] on the same episode that I worked on with Mariska. We all had one very brief scene together. It was fun.
How’s it been working on a show with such a long history? Even longer than ER, where you spent 10 years. Does it feel special to you?
It does feel special. It’s a part of TV history. When I tell my friends that I’m on the show, they ask “Which Law and Order are you doing?” I just say, “The OG one.” [Laughs] But it’s also special because it had a break. This is the fourth season of the reboot, so there’s still a lot of excitement and freshness. It’s not like everybody on the show has been there for 35 years. It feels new, enthusiastic, and fun.
Scott Gries/NBC
Over the years, you’ve been such an eclectic actress doing movies, plays, not to mention TV, where you excelled on smart sitcoms like NewsRadio, popular dramas like ER, and lately two very dark shows, Your Honor and American Rust. Which medium do you prefer?
I prefer roles that are interesting and challenging and they have mostly been presented to me on TV, which I’m happy with. I do like theater and now that I’m in New York [where L&O is filmed], I can maybe pursue that a bit.
Speaking of pursuit, what are you especially looking forward to doing in your first police role?
Tons! I want to do stunts, I want to chase somebody down. There’s not a ton of that but the guys do do that. So that’s something I’d like to do. Rick [Eid, showrunner] did say to me, though, be careful what I wish for!
Eid told me that Brady is really more of a detective in her head and heart than a lieutenant.
Exactly!
Law & Order, Season 24 Premiere, Thursday, October 3, 8/7c, NBC