Checking in with TONY GOLDWYN

Nothing has been scandalous about Tony Goldwyn’s present position in the world of “Law & Order.” A member of a storied family that includes his late movie-producer father, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. (“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” 2003), and his studio-titan grandfather, Samuel Goldwyn (the Goldwyn of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), the actor-producer-director has succeeded longtime “Law & Order” cast member Sam Waterston as the district attorney on the NBC drama series that’s currently in the third season of its revival on Thursdays. Goldwyn is playing DA Nicholas Baxter, whose thoughts often are unsettlingly covert to his prosecution team of Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy, “Hannibal”) and Samantha Maroun (Odelya Halevi, “Black Adam,” 2022). However, this current job isn’t the first time Goldwyn has had a connection to the Law & Order franchise. He directed a 2006 episode of the parent series (“Thinking Makes It So”) about the pursuit of a kidnapping suspect, then he played the half-brother of Det. Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio, “Echo”) as a recurring guest star in “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” The last of his appearances there was in 2007, undoubtedly giving executive producer Dick Wolf confidence in casting Goldwyn in a different and substantial role in the Law & Order universe now. When it comes to television credits, though, Goldwyn’s primary one remains President Fitzgerald Grant III in “Scandal.” He played the part throughout the seven-season run of the Shonda Rhimes-created-and-produced ABC political drama, also directing nine episodes of the show along the way. Goldwyn has called the shots, literally, on various shows and several feature films over the years, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him do the same for “Law & Order” again in the future. For now, acting is the main name of his game again, and though he has big shoes to fill in following Waterston, he has the experience and credibility to do that while generating a fresh character in a franchise that has survived its fair share of cast turnovers.