Geesh, the eight episodes in the tenth and final season of USA Network crime procedural Law & Order: Criminal Intent went by fast, and now it’s time for fans of the best L&O ever to say goodbye during the June 26 series finale “To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap.”

The last case on the roster for New York detectives Alex Eames (Kathryn Erbe) and Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) revolves around two murdered people who worked at an Internet business embroiled in a major legal dispute. Dawson’s Creek alum James Van Der Beek guest stars.

Although the series finale is a low point of the summer season, at least fans can interact with stars Erbe and D’Onofrio on Twitter during the premiere of “To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap” to give them a fitting goodbye. Just log into your Twitter account and head over to @USA_LawOrderCI to tweet with Erbe at 9pm ET and D’Onofrio at 12am ET (which is 9pm in Pacific time, when the episode debuts on the West Coast). I will definitely miss them both.

Sundays on USA Network are going to be exciting yet bittersweet this summer. Although fans definitely appreciate having fresh installments of both Law & Order: Criminal Intent and In Plain Sight to watch, the first crime drama will be presenting its 10th and too-short final season of just eight episodes.

The summer fun begins tonight, May 1, at 9pm ET with much-missed detectives Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe) and Bobby Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) investigating on the “Rispetto” season premiere of the Law & Order spinoff. Actor Jay Mohr (Gary Unmarried, Ghost Whisperer) guest stars.

In Plain Sight follows in the 10pm time slot with its Season 4 premiere “The Art of the Steal.” Since the newer series has a total of 13 episodes during the current run, fans will get to watch it a bit longer in coming weeks. We’ll take what we can get of both shows.

Finally, what fans have been awaiting for months. USA Network has at last scheduled the season premieres of crime series In Plain Sight and Law & Order: Criminal Intent for the lovely month of May.

Both shows are now joined at the time slot and will return on Sunday, May 1. Law & Order: Criminal Intent, back for its tenth and last season of eight episodes with original series stars Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe thankfully in place, starts the night off at 9pm ET.

In Plain Sight follows on Sundays at 10pm with 13 episodes in its fourth season. The show’s third season ended abruptly three episodes early at the end of June 2010 due to showrunner John McNamara‘s leave for medical reasons, so many viewers will be that much more happy to see Mary, Marshall and Stan in action again.

Welcome back to both missed series. Spring is looking better already.

Some TV shows become like a comfy security blanket the longer they last, and the Law & Order spinoff Law & Order: Criminal Intent definitely belongs in that group. The crime procedural is back on USA Network tonight, March 30, at 10pm ET to launch its ninth season.

The spring run begins with “Mad Mullah,” Part One of the two-part premiere, which concludes on April 6 with “Loyalty.” An overseas incident somehow involves Captain Ross, and, of course, his loyal Major Case detectives leap to help him when needed.

Sneak a peek at “Mad Mullah” below before catching the entire episode.

Following a nearly eight-month hiatus, Law & Order: Criminal Intent returns to USA Network at 9pm ET tonight to begin its eighth season of 16 episodes. Onboard for the premiere “Playing Dead” is excellent guest star Kathy Baker (Picket Fences), who just completed another noteworthy stint on TNT’s Saving Grace.

If you happen to love Criminal Intent as much as yours truly — it’s been my favorite Law & Order series since its debut — then tonight’s episode should please you a great deal.

The plot revolves around Councilman Neil Hayes-Fitzpatrick (Scott Cohen, Law & Order: Trial by Jury), a New York City politician, and his drug addict stepdaughter Stacy. She somehow remains sober enough to live through a gunman’s sudden assault by pretending to be dead, although her boyfriend, a fellow addict and dealer, isn’t such a fortunate fast thinker.

Baker plays the councilman’s mother and campaign manager, who seems to be as stunned as everyone else upon learning Stacy and her dead ex were involved with attempts to blackmail the powerful family. However, Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Detective Bobby Goren, once again working smoothly with his partner Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe) after a seventh season filled with much trouble and tension, quickly notes the surviving victim’s odd behavior regarding Neil.

Once the observation is out of the bag, it combines with some typically adept sleuthing from Goren and Eames to provide viewers with several unexpected but entirely satisfying developments. How lucky we fans are to have Criminal Intent back and in great shape, with new player Detective Zach Nichols (Jurassic Park‘s Jeff Goldblum) making his first appearance next week alongside his partner Megan Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson). More on that before his debut episode, April 26th’s “Rock Star.”

Tonight, at 9pm EST, the seventh season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent will close with a finale called “Frame.” Since the TV spots are heavy on the Bobby Goren and light on the Alex Eames, we can pretty much guess which detective the frame business applies to … Goren, of course.

The brief trailer in the video below also hints a big blast from the past awaits Goren in the form of the ever-elusive cunning temptress and lethal criminal Nicole Wallace, always played chillingly by Olivia d’Abo. Doesn’t that look just like her in the lightning-quick snippet where a blonde woman turns to face the camera but never quite shows her face?

My assumption is supported by the episode description, which says Goren will take a dangerous journey back into his earlier life after a photo is left at his mother’s grave. Let’s just hope that’s not him in the body bag. I’d bet money it isn’t, too, unless it’s a trick to fool someone.

The teaser promo for “Frame” follows.

Season 1–3 DVDs and T-Shirt Up for Grabs

It’s been five long months since we’ve had new episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but the draught is about to end — and not a moment too soon. Come Sunday, June 8, at 9pm EST, the cerebral member of the L&O franchise will kick off the back half of its current seventh season on USA Network.

In celebration of that big event, USA is offering tv|jots readers the opportunity to win one totally awesome prize package containing Seasons 1–3 of the series on DVD, as well as a black Law & Order: Criminal Intent t-shirt. You can’t just get this stuff for free anywhere, I promise you.

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post and share your favorite episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Sure, you can leave a comment without giving up the information, but telling us which episode you like the most is required to win the prize.

Also make sure to use a valid email address so that you can be contacted if you win. Should Blogger’s comment system make it impossible to leave your email address without revealing it to the world, all you have to do is enter via the contact page, just as you would through the comment section, and I’ll post your response here for you.

The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and the entry deadline is Sunday, June 22, at 11:59pm EST; in other words, two weeks after premiere night for the series on USA Network. Afterwards, I’ll randomly select one winner to receive the very generous prize.

Thanks for stopping by, check out the trailer below, get psyched for CI, and good luck to all!

Law & Order: Criminal Intent – Trailer

Related Posts

• Comings and Goings in the ‘Law and Order’ Universe
• Law and Order: Criminal Intent: All About Eames

Kathryn Erbe and Vincent D’Onofrio/Law & Order: Criminal Intent photo courtesy of Eric Ogden/USA Network

Tags: Criminal Intent, giveaways, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, television, tv, USA, USA Network

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