7.9/10358 votes#1 - Cherished
Season 9 Episode 1 - Aired 9/23/1998
The investigation into a girl's death reveals secrets the adoptive family was desperately trying to hide.
Director: Edwin Sherin
Writer: Kathy McCormick
8.0/10320 votes#2 - DWB
Season 9 Episode 2 - Aired 10/7/1998
Detectives discover a shocking twist involving unlikely suspects when they investigate the brutal beating of a black man dumped near the highway.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: Kathy McCormick
7.5/10303 votes#3 - Bait
Season 9 Episode 3 - Aired 10/14/1998
The investigation into how a teen got wounded leads to a case involving a young woman's murder and a drug operation.
Director: David Shore
Writer: David Shore
7.8/10313 votes#4 - Flight
Season 9 Episode 4 - Aired 10/21/1998
After a child in a day-care center dies of a virus, Briscoe and Curtis try to find the source of the infection, leading to a case involving an extramarital affair, embezzlement and a drug manufacturer.
Director: David Platt
Writer: N/A
8.2/10352 votes#5 - Agony
Season 9 Episode 5 - Aired 11/4/1998
After the detectives find a murdered postman and a woman who was left for dead in her apartment, the investigation leads to a serial killer and a surprise.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: Kathy McCormick
7.6/10318 votes#6 - Scrambled
Season 9 Episode 6 - Aired 11/11/1998
The murder of an employee at a fertility clinic leads to a case involving a dead man's first and second wives.
Director: Martha Mitchell
Writer: N/A
7.7/10336 votes#7 - Venom
Season 9 Episode 7 - Aired 11/18/1998
The killing of a professional escort leads to a case involving the relationships between a young man and two older women.
Director: Jace Alexander
Writer: N/A
8.1/10365 votes#8 - Punk
Season 9 Episode 8 - Aired 11/25/1998
The murder of a corrections officer leads detectives to a women's prison where a guard was linked to an inmate Carmichael put away on drug charges and a confrontation with defense attorney Danielle Melnick.
Director: Matthew Penn
Writer: Matt Witten
7.9/10341 votes#9 - True North
Season 9 Episode 9 - Aired 12/9/1998
The double murder of a wealthy man and his daughter leads the detectives to the wife and stepmother of the deceased. However, Canada's objection to the death penalty hampers McCoy and Carmichael in seeking crucial evidence for obtaining a conviction.
Director: Arthur W. Forney
Writer: N/A
7.9/10351 votes#10 - Hate
Season 9 Episode 10 - Aired 1/6/1999
Evidence points the detectives in the direction of a fascist youth gathering after the brutal beating and murder of a high school girl.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: N/A
8.1/10325 votes#11 - Ramparts
Season 9 Episode 11 - Aired 1/13/1999
Briscoe and Curtis reopen a case that was closed in the '60s when a vehicle is dredged from the Hudson River containing the remains of a murdered man.
Director: Matthew Penn
Writer: Kathy McCormick, Lynne E. Litt
7.3/10287 votes#12 - Haven
Season 9 Episode 12 - Aired 2/10/1999
Briscoe and Curtis probe the murder of a popular Harlem community leader while McCoy and Carmichael struggle to prevent a chaotic situation.
Director: David Platt
Writer: David Shore
7.5/10297 votes#13 - Hunters
Season 9 Episode 13 - Aired 2/10/1999
Briscoe and Curtis race against time to find the killer of a parolee before two bounty hunters find the suspected murderer.
Director: N/A
Writer: Gerry Conway
8.0/10315 votes#14 - Sideshow (I)
Season 9 Episode 14 - Aired 2/17/1999
When Briscoe and Curtis discover that a high-level federal official found murdered was recently transferred from Baltimore, they re-team with Baltimore homicide detectives. The joint investigation reveals that the victim was involved in an affair with a high-level government official whose career will be destroyed if it becomes public. The independent counsel summons McCoy and Ed Danvers to Washington to demand McCoy reveal his source or be jailed for contempt. This crossover continues on Homicide: Life on the Street S07E15 Sideshow (II).
Director: Edwin Sherin
Writer: N/A
7.5/10313 votes#15 - Disciple
Season 9 Episode 15 - Aired 2/24/1999
After a teen is found dead in the emergency room, the investigation leads to a case involving a religious ritual and a defendant who claims that the action taken was dictated by a saint's voice.
Director: Martha Mitchell
Writer: Lynne E. Litt
7.7/10286 votes#16 - Harm
Season 9 Episode 16 - Aired 3/3/1999
Briscoe and Curtis investigate a possible homicide while probing the assault of a retired divorce attorney.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10289 votes#17 - Shield
Season 9 Episode 17 - Aired 3/24/1999
Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of a police officer who was shot while on an undercover stakeout.
Director: David Shore
Writer: David Shore
7.7/10302 votes#18 - Juvenile
Season 9 Episode 18 - Aired 4/14/1999
The investigation into the shooting of a newspaper columnist leads to a murder case from two decades earlier and involves a suspect who at that time had been a juvenile.
Director: N/A
Writer: Lynne E. Litt
8.1/10350 votes#19 - Tabula Rasa
Season 9 Episode 19 - Aired 4/21/1999
After a philosophy professor is pushed in front of a subway and killed, the investigation leads to a suspect who, following a divorce, changed his identity and disappeared with his daughters.
Director: N/A
Writer: Kathy McCormick
7.6/10379 votes#20 - Empire
Season 9 Episode 20 - Aired 5/5/1999
The death of a corporate mogul caused by an overdose of a sexual performance-enhancing drug leads to a case with a witness that puts Curtis in a compromising position.
Director: Matthew Penn
Writer: Robert Palm
7.7/10290 votes#21 - Ambitious
Season 9 Episode 21 - Aired 5/12/1999
The murder of an audio installation salesman leads the detectives to a case with connections to the mafia.
Director: Christopher Misiano
Writer: N/A
7.5/10291 votes#22 - Admissions
Season 9 Episode 22 - Aired 5/19/1999
A coed's killing leads to a case involving the deceased's relationship with a professor and two male students who vouch for each other's whereabouts on the night of the murder.
Director: Jace Alexander
Writer: Kathy McCormick, Lynne E. Litt
8.5/10367 votes#23 - Refuge
Season 9 Episode 23 - Aired 5/26/1999
A shootout between a motorist and the police leads to the discovery of a gruesome Russian mob killing --- and a traumatized boy who was an eyewitness to the murder.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: N/A
8.6/10377 votes#24 - Refuge (Part II)
Season 9 Episode 24 - Aired 5/26/1999
McCoy and Carmichael risk violating the civil liberties of witnesses when they are forced to jail them in order to safely continue their investigation.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 9
Every episode of Law & Order Season 9 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Law & Order Season 9!
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 9 Ratings Summary
"Cherished" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order" season 9. It scored 7.9/10 based on 358 votes. Directed by Edwin Sherin and written by Kathy McCormick, it aired on 9/23/1998. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "DWB".