Jesse L. Martin is coming back to TV.Less than a year after defecting from Law & Order, the actor is in talks to return to NBC in the midseason drama The Philanthropist, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Martin, who spent nine years on L&O, would portray Philip Maidstone, business partner and friend of lead Teddy Rist (James Purefoy), an altruistic billionaire who helps those in need worldwide.Production is expected to begin soon. The series is slated for a spring premiere with a truncated episode order, down from the original 13. Are you excited to see Martin back on TV? — Joyce Eng
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The least that a key team player can expect when his (or her) time comes to depart the unstoppable Law & Order is a memorable farewell. No slinking off into the sunset for Jesse L. Martin. No “Is this because I’m a lesbian?” nonsense, as befitted the hapless Elisabeth Rohm (arguably the most inept cast member in its 18-season history). Martin’s character of Ed Green, who bridges the past as the last detective to serve alongside the late Jerry Orbach’s legendary Lenny Briscoe, hangs it up tonight in a powerful episode that unearths some disturbing secrets—at least one harking back to how he coped with losing his partner—behind Green’s typically professional demeanor.I’m truly sorry to see Martin go at this juncture of the show’s history. After a number of seasons of uneven cast chemistry—I pretty much bailed during the “dark years” of Rohm, Fred Thompson and even Dennis Farina (who seemed too much like a “TV ch...
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Question: How will Jesse L. Martin leaving Law & Order affect the show? He has been the anchor of the "law" half since the departure of Jerry Orbach. Any word on who will replace him? On a related note, is NBC going to keep Law & Order: Criminal Intent, or is USA going to get it back when the show goes back into production?
Answer: Last I saw, Anthony Anderson (K-Ville) was still in talks to step into Martin's shoes as the other half of the detective team (opposite Jeremy Sisto). Fans tend to hate the revolving-door policy on this show, but Law & Order has survived many cast changes over the years in both the "law" and "order" halves, and I don't see this as being more disruptive than most. (Losing Orbach was without a doubt the most serious and tragic blow to date.) As for Criminal Intent, it is first and foremost a USA Network series now, and new episodes will continue to air on USA, with an NBC window to follow, should the network choose ...
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After nine years of playing Det. Ed Green (and after many months of speculation), Jesse L. Martin is expected to leave NBC's Law & Order. Sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that Martin, who had originally signed on for at least 13 episodes this season, will film one more show in which his alter ego is written off the canvas. Perhaps filling the void left by Martin will be Anthony Anderson, who is said to be in final talks to join L&O. Anderson (most recently of Fox's short-lived K-Ville) would play a new detective partnered with Jeremy Sisto's Lupo.Related:• Movie news: Jesse L. Martin to play Marvin Gaye• L&O Signs Vet, Intent Stars; But Who's the New ADA?
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James Gandolfini's going from the mob life to the soul scene in Sexual Healing, an indie pic that will explore the latter part of singer Marvin Gaye's life. The former Soprano will costar alongside Jesse L. Martin, who will play the legendary crooner.Gandolfini's company, Attaboy Films, is producing the project. The screenplay is loosely adapted from the book Trouble Man, which chronicles Gaye's life from when he left Motown records through his European self-exile and relationship with promoter Freddy Cousaert (Gandolfini), who was key to the singer's most popular album, Midnight Love.The announcement comes just days after Gandolfini won a SAG award as Best Male Actor in a Drama Series for his role on The Sopranos. — Anna Dimond
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