David Ajala to join Law and Order as Det. Riley's midseason partner

David Ajala has joined Law and Order as a series regular, the actor will play an NYPD detective who will partner with Reid Scott's Det. Vincent Riley when he appears partway through the series 25 season on NBC. The milestone season premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC and will stream the following day on Peacock, according to network listings, though some reports gave a different premiere date for the broadcast debut.

Ajala's casting follows the departure of Mehcad Brooks, who played Det. Jalen Shaw for three seasons. Brooks left the series this year; it remains unclear whether his exit will be addressed on screen or handled off camera, and showrunners have not publicly detailed plans for explaining the character's absence. Several outlets reported that Riley will operate without a partner for at least the opening episodes of the new season while Ajala's character is introduced.

Best known for portraying Cleveland Booker on Star Trek Discovery, Ajala brings a varied résumé to the longrunning procedural, including roles in the BBC drama The Jetty, the mystery Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, USA Network's Falling Water, CW's Supergirl and the Syfy adaptation of...