7.3/10295 votes#1 - Paradigm
Season 15 Episode 1 - Aired 9/22/2004
An Iraqi immigrant who murders a former military policewoman in retaliation for torturing her brother at Abu Ghraib prison claims that she is covered as an enemy combatant under the terms of the Geneva Convention.
Director: Dick Wolf, Matthew Penn
Writer: N/A
7.8/10321 votes#2 - The Dead Wives Club
Season 15 Episode 2 - Aired 9/22/2004
When a woman abandoned by her firefighter husband for his partner's widow is threatened with also losing custody of her children, she murders her romantic rival, claiming that 9/11 post-traumatic stress syndrome prompted her actions.
Director: David Platt
Writer: Nick Santora
8.0/10309 votes#3 - The Brotherhood
Season 15 Episode 3 - Aired 9/29/2004
When a prison gang puts out a contract on a Sing Sing corrections officer and his family, assigning the job to a newly released ex-con, the terrified officer pleads preemptive self-defense after he's brought to trial for the parolee's murder. As the trial proceeds, the gang attempts to affect the outcome of the case by sending a death threat to the presiding judge, who refuses to be intimidated. Shortly after the conclusion of the trial, McCoy discovers that the defendant's fears about the power and the reach of the gang were well-placed.
Director: Jean de Segonzac
Writer: N/A
7.6/10280 votes#4 - Coming Down Hard
Season 15 Episode 4 - Aired 10/6/2004
McCoy goes after the C.E.O. of a pharmaceutical company who knowingly commissioned further clinical trials on a drug to extend its patent protection yielding millions of dollars of profit without disclosing that previous clinical studies had demonstrated that the drug created a high risk of suicide in its users.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/10289 votes#5 - Gunplay
Season 15 Episode 5 - Aired 10/20/2004
After Green goes undercover to gather evidence on the gun dealers who murdered two detectives during a buy-and-bust, McCoy is able to connect the hit men to the attorney who paid them to avenge the death of his gun-running stepson at the hands of the same detectives during a similar buy-and-bust several years earlier.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: N/A
7.7/10270 votes#6 - Cut
Season 15 Episode 6 - Aired 10/27/2004
When a plastic surgeon's greed and narcissism contribute to his failure to care for a patient that ultimately results in her death, Branch insists that McCoy prosecute him for criminally negligent homicide, rather than leave the matter to the civil courts, after an investigation reveals a several instances of the doctor's inattention to patient care.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/10276 votes#7 - Gov Love
Season 15 Episode 7 - Aired 11/10/2004
The investigation into the death of a governor's wife uncovers a web of infidelity, greed, and corruption which forces McCoy to counter a defense based on a ground-breaking interpretation of spousal privilege.
Director: Michael Pressman
Writer: N/A
7.3/10271 votes#8 - Cry Wolf
Season 15 Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/2004
The detectives are skeptical when a former street activist turned shock jock with a history of staging phony muggings to gain publicity for his causes appears to be the subject of an attempt on his life after publicly assailing a mobster, but they begin to believe his story after they discover that the married jock was involved with the mobster's mistress.
Director: Don Scardino
Writer: Nick Santora
7.4/10273 votes#9 - All in the Family
Season 15 Episode 9 - Aired 11/24/2004
When the investigation into the contract killing of a jeweler uncovers his plan to roll over on his Russian mob connections to a federal prosecutor, as well as an unhappy wife whom he refused to divorce, McCoy must determine who financed the hit.
Director: Jace Alexander
Writer: N/A
7.5/10266 votes#10 - Enemy
Season 15 Episode 10 - Aired 12/1/2004
The prosecution of a drug trafficker responsible for a stash house massacre is hampered when McCoy discovers that the defendant claims diplomatic immunity, and has been working as an undercover operative aiding the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10276 votes#11 - Fixed
Season 15 Episode 11 - Aired 12/8/2004
When a paroled child murderer is run down, the investigation leads to a terrified social worker and an experimental prison therapy program.
Director: Edwin Sherin
Writer: Eric Overmyer
7.6/10255 votes#12 - Mammon
Season 15 Episode 12 - Aired 1/5/2005
The investigation into the murder of a wealthy husband leads to the uncovering of a conspiracy involving infidelity and greed and leads to one defendant attempting to evade justice by killing the other.
Director: Jace Alexander
Writer: N/A
7.4/10320 votes#13 - Ain't No Love
Season 15 Episode 13 - Aired 1/12/2005
When a rap producer is found shot to death in his studio, detectives focus on his protege, whose demos link him and a friend to a second murder. As the investigation unfolds, Southerlyn's opinions put her sharply at odds with both McCoy and Branch.
Director: Paris Barclay
Writer: N/A
8.1/10293 votes#14 - Fluency
Season 15 Episode 14 - Aired 1/19/2005
Fontana and Green are baffled by a series of flu-related deaths until they discover that the victims were given fake vaccine. McCoy goes after the con man who distributed the vaccine for murder.
Director: Matthew Penn
Writer: Nick Santora
7.6/10274 votes#15 - Obsession
Season 15 Episode 15 - Aired 2/9/2005
A conservative talk show host involved in a sexual harassment scandal is murdered, but the trail leads to the victim's wife and an obsessed stalker.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: N/A
7.3/10269 votes#16 - The Sixth Man
Season 15 Episode 16 - Aired 2/16/2005
McCoy prosecutes a famous basketball star accused of murdering a man who was suing him because of a massive brawl between players and fans.
Director: David Platt
Writer: N/A
7.7/10280 votes#17 - License to Kill
Season 15 Episode 17 - Aired 2/23/2005
The investigation into a fatal traffic accident leads Fontana and Green to a slaughtered hunting party in the woods and an unknown man who may have been pursuing vigilante justice.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: N/A
7.4/10272 votes#18 - Dining Out
Season 15 Episode 18 - Aired 3/2/2005
When a TV network executive is found murdered, Detectives Fontana and Green suspect a pair of twins who were stealing from the organization until they discover a celebrity chef with whom the married victim shared an affair. The nimble and charming chef is adroit at cultivating relationships with judges and juries alike, but prosecutor McCoy intends to reveal that the suspect's cooking show was about to be cancelled by his late lover.
Director: Jean de Segonzac
Writer: N/A
7.6/10282 votes#19 - Sects
Season 15 Episode 19 - Aired 3/30/2005
Police and prosecutors go after a fanatical cult leader who encourages sex with children among her followers.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10306 votes#20 - Tombstone (I)
Season 15 Episode 20 - Aired 4/13/2005
The bludgeoned corpse of a promiscuous lawyer is found in her office and detectives treat her former lovers as suspects until DNA evidence points to a co-worker. This crossover continues on Law & Order: Trial By Jury S01E08 Skeleton (II).
Director: Eric Stoltz
Writer: N/A
7.9/10285 votes#21 - Publish and Perish
Season 15 Episode 21 - Aired 4/20/2005
Fontana and his temporary partner, Det. Nick Falco, must tread lightly when they discover links between a powerful police commissioner and the murders of an infamous porn actress and a maverick publisher.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: N/A
7.5/10263 votes#22 - Sport of Kings
Season 15 Episode 22 - Aired 5/4/2005
The shooting of a Panamanian jockey sends Fontana and Falco into the colorful world of horse racing, and they learn that the animal's owner used stolen funds for the purchase.
Director: Michael Pressman
Writer: N/A
7.4/10268 votes#23 - In God We Trust
Season 15 Episode 23 - Aired 5/11/2005
When Fontana and Falco investigate an arson which caused the death of a firefighter, they discover a murder weapon tied to a nine year old murder and a hate crime in which the defendent attempts to have his case dismissed because he became a born again Christian after committing the murder.
Director: David Platt
Writer: Dick Wolf
7.5/10263 votes#24 - Locomotion
Season 15 Episode 24 - Aired 5/18/2005
After a man causes a massive train crash that results in multiple deaths, McCoy tries to prosecute him for murder despite his insanity defense. But McCoy finds himself hampered by a defense attorney whose own agenda may undercut that of his client.
Director: Matthew Penn
Writer: Eric Overmyer
The Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 15
Every episode of Law & Order Season 15 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 15!
In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into...
Genres:CrimeDrama
Network:NBC
Season 15 Ratings Summary
"Paradigm" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order" season 15. It scored 7.3/10 based on 295 votes. Directed by Dick Wolf, Matthew Penn and written by N/A, it aired on 9/22/2004. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "The Dead Wives Club".