The Law & Order: SVU squad had an opening after Detective Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) headed west at the end of last season. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) was happy to learn of his early retirement and to have the chance to bid this partner a proper goodbye. Despite the fact that the unit now has only three cops on its roster, TVGuide reports they’ll be getting additional supervision instead of backup: Tony nominee Andy Karl is joining the cast as Benson’s second-in-command.
Karl will play Sergeant Mike Dodds, the son of Peter Gallagher’s Deputy Chief William Dodds. The team “will have trouble taking orders” from him at first, possibly because they’re too busy dealing with child murderers and the Robert Dursts of the world. But executive producer Warren Leight told TVGuide the squad needs Dodds’ leadership, because it currently comprises a rookie, a recovering gambling addict, and Ice-T.
Karl has had a few small roles in TV and film, but he’s already made a name for himself on Broadway, earning two Tony nominations in the last two years. Karl recently played Rocky Balboa in Rocky The Musical, and he danced around on stage with his future TV dad Gallagher in On The Twentieth Century. Watch the video to judge for yourselves whether or not Karl’s eyebrows are worthy of the Gallagher—er, Dodds—name.