Law & Order - Season 4

Law & Order - Season 4 (1993 – 1994)

Season 4 of Law & Order saw yet more changes to the cast. Finally bowing to pressure from the network to add females to what was an all-male cast, Dann Florek and Richard Brooks were let go in between seasons and replaced with S. Epatha Merkerson and Jill Hennessy, respectively. (Carolyn McCormick had been tacked onto the end of the opening credits starting in Season 3, but she didn't fit into either the Law or Order side and didn't appear in every episode.) Like Jerry Orbach, S. Epatha Merkerson had previously appeared in the series as a different character, portraying a grieving mother in Season 1's "Mushrooms". Merkerson would end up staying with the show until its cancellation seventeen years later, starring in 390 out of a possible 456 episodes, more than any other cast member. Hennessy would be the first in a long line of (somewhat unrealistically) attractive female ADAs that the show would be eventually famous (or infamous) for. Florek and Brooks understood the reasons for their firing and were good sports about it, with both reprising their roles in guest spots in later seasons, with Florek even directing some episodes in Season 4. Florek and Captain Donald Cragen would eventually return to the Law & Order universe, first in the 1998 television film Exiled: A Law & Order Movie and then full-time as a regular on the show's first spin-off, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role he portrayed for nearly 15 seasons until his character was seen retiring in an episode that aired in January of 2014.

Season 4 would also mark the final season for Michael Moriarty, with EADA Ben Stone resigning at the end of the season finale. The reasons for Moriarty's departure have been disputed, with some claiming he quit while others claiming he was fired. Either way, Moriarty, who had scored an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for every season he was on the show, remains one of the few former cast members with living characters who never returned for a guest spot in a later season. Although Moriarty never reappears, the character of Ben Stone was mentioned in a Season 6 episode, "Custody" (S06E14), and two decades later, he appeared offscreen conversing over the phone with his son Peter (Philip Winchester) in Dick Wolf's short-lived Chicago Justice. He is finally killed off in Season 19 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, with his onetime replacement Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) given the eulogy at his funeral.

Cast:

Law

• Detective Lennie Briscoe - Jerry Orbach
• Detective Mike Logan - Chris Noth
• Lieutenant Anita Van Buren - S. Epatha Merkerson

Order

• Executive Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone - Michael Moriarty
• Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid - Jill Hennessy
• District Attorney Adam Schiff - Steven Hill

The following weapons were used in Season 4 of the television series Law & Order:

Revolvers

Smith & Wesson Model 36

Detective Lennie Brisco (Jerry Orbach) and Detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth) are armed with Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolvers. Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) appears to be armed with one as well, but never draws it.

Smith & Wesson Model 36 - .38 Special - 5 shot

Briscoe and Logan with their sidearms drawn before entering a room in "Apocrypha" (S04E07).

Briscoe and Logan with their sidearms drawn before entering a room in "Kids" (S04E15).

Logan points his S&W 36 at a suspect in "Kids" (S04E15).

A good view of Logan's S&W 36 in "Mayhem" (S04E17).

Logan and Briscoe confront a suspect in "Mayhem" (S04E17).

Barry Talbott (Paul Geier) subdues Sid Fisher (Steve Ryan) after shooting him once in the shoulder with his S&W 36 drawn in "Sweeps" (S04E01). The entire teaser of this episode was shot as a show within a show on a handheld camera, which accounts for the poor quality.

Smith & Wesson Model 10HB

Smith & Wesson Model 10s are carried by the NYPD Officers in the initial seasons of the series. The Smith & Wesson Model 10 was an authorized weapon for all NYPD officers who had entered onto the job on or prior to 1993. In '93 the NYPD went to semi-automatic pistols.

Smith & Wesson Model 10 HB (heavy barrel) revolver (Post 1950s Model) - .38 Special

Officer Greenberg (Richard Litt) with his S&W 10HB drawn in "Profile" (S04E04).

An ESU officer (right) with a S&W 10HB in "Kids" (S04E15).

Colt Python

A uniformed officer draws a Colt Python as he nears a suspicious vehicle in "Snatched" (S04E12). This is the first time on the show where NYPD officers are seen using firearms not actually approved for use by the real NYPD. A stainless Python is seen in a box of guns in "Kids" (S04E15), although it is erroneously referred to as a "Colt Anaconda" in that episode.

Colt Python with 4" Barrel and factory wood grips - .357 Magnum

Colt Python Stainless Steel variant with 4" Barrel and Colt marked rubber combat grips - .357 Magnum

The Colt Python right in the middle.

Smith & Wesson Model 64

A Smith & Wesson Model 64 is seen in the hands of an ESU officer in "Kids" (S04E15). The S&W Model 64 was modified to meet NYPD requirements and designated as the Model NY-1 by the NYPD and was the authorized issued revolver for all officers of the NYPD who entered on to "the Job" after 1986 until the department stopped issuing revolvers and began issuing semi-automatic 9mm pistols starting around 1992.

Smith & Wesson Model 64 Stainless Model - .38 Special

An ESU officer behind Briscoe with a S&W 64.

Ruger GP100

Logan finds a stainless Ruger GP100 in "Mayhem" (S04E17). According to the cops, it's chambered in .38.

Ruger GP100, the Stainless Version - .357 Magnum

Logan pulls out the suspect's revolver. The Ruger-style cylinder release is seen here.

Logan sniffs the revolver to determine if it's been fired recently.

A brief shot of the open cylinder.

Pistols

Tanfoglio Titan II

The killer is stopped by an armed citizen with a nickel-plated or stainless Tanfoglio Titan II in "Profile" (S04E04). Another Titan II (probably the same prop) is seen in a stash of guns in "Kids" (S04E15).

FIE/Tanfoglio Titan 2 - .380 ACP

Briscoe picks up the girl's gun. The scene takes place outdoors at night, so the gun is a little hard to see.

The Tanfoglio Titan II at the left.

Browning Hi-Power

The murder weapon in "The Pursuit of Happiness" (S04E10) is a Browning Hi-Power. Forensics experts call it a "Browning" and Logan remarks that it's worth $500.

Classic Commercial Browning Hi-Power (Belgian Mfg) - 9x19mm

CSU with the Hi-Power

Logan with the Hi-Power

The disassembled Hi-Power, sans frame, in the lab.

Glock 19

The murder weapon in "Kids" (S04E15) is a Glock 19. The police identify it as a Glock chambered in 9mm.

Glock 19 (2nd Generation) - 9x19mm

The Glock 19 in the middle of the pile.

Logan holds up the Glock 19.

Unknown pistol

Sid Fisher (Steve Ryan) shoots Dr. Joseph Vinton with an unknown pistol in the teaser of "Sweeps" (S04E01). Since the entire teaser was shot as a show within a show on a handheld camera, this is the best shot available.

SIG-Sauer P226

A two-tone SIG-Sauer P226 is seen in a box of guns in "Kids" (S04E15).

Two-tone SIG-Sauer P226 - 9x19mm

The SIG-Sauer P226 above the Colt Python. The pistol has the longer slide and - though barely visible in this shot - the hooked trigger guard, indicating it is a full-size P226.

Browning BDA 380

A two-tone Browning BDA 380 is seen in a box of guns in "Kids" (S04E15). It is also seen in another stash of guns in the same episode.

Browning BDA 380 - .380 ACP

The distinctive grips of the Browning BDA 380 are clear in this shot.

Here as well.

Colt Woodsman

Det. Briscoe finds a Colt Woodsman 3rd Series Target in a suspect's apartment in "Mayhem" (S04E17). Logan immediately identifies it as a ".22."

Colt Woodsman 3rd Series Target - .22 LR

Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless

The murder weapon in the season finale "Old Friends" (S04E22) is a Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless. According to the dialogue, it is chambered in .32, with a box of .32 ammo found in the suspect's apartment.

Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless Pistol Blued - .32 ACP

Briscoe finds the suspect's pistol in his bag.

Shotguns

Sawn-off Double Barreled Shotgun

The murder weapon in "Profile" (S04E04) is a Sawn-off Double Barreled Shotgun. The police deduce this from examining the spread of the shot as well as the fact that no shell casings were found.

This is the actual screen used Spanish Zabala Shotgun held and used by The Skull (Geno Silva) in Scarface - 12 gauge.

Briscoe holds up the suspect's shotgun while Logan holds his S&W 36 to the suspect's head in "Profile" (S04E04).

Briscoe and Logan find the sawn off portion of the barrel in a storage space in "Profile" (S04E04).

Ithaca 37

An ESU officer is seen with a Ithaca 37 with an extended magazine tube in "Kids" (S04E15).

Ithaca 37 with extended magazine tube - 12 Gauge

An ESU officer with an Ithaca 37. In a sign of true gender equality, a female ESU officer is the first one through the door.

The Ithaca 37 on the left.

Submachine Guns

MAC-10

A MAC-10 is seen in a box of guns in "Kids" (S04E15).

Ingram MAC-10 open bolt submachine gun - 9x19mm

The MAC-10 to the right of the box.

TEC-9

A TEC-9 is seen in a box of guns in "Kids" (S04E15).

Intratec TEC-9 - 9x19mm

The TEC-9 to the left of the box.

Rifles

M1 Garand

An M1 Garand is seen hanging in a suspect's room in "Mayhem" (S04E17). Briscoe refers to it as "an antique."

M1 Garand semiautomatic Rifle with leather M1917 sling - .30-06