"How do you do it?" detective Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin) asks his boss, Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) on tonight's "Law & Order."

"One foot in front of the other, for 30 years." Van Buren replies.

While Merkerson's tenure on "L&O" has only been 15 years, that question and answer resonate tonight as Martin makes his final appearance in a nine-year run on the series. …

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Variety says Jesse L. Martin is leaving, with Anthony Anderson coming in. Full story is here.

Martin has been a steady presence on the show, but he has also been there since 1999, a long run for a role that infrequently asks a lot from the actor. It will be interesting to see how long Anderson lasts. He's one of those guys who has real star power — and was amazing on "The Shield" — and I could see him getting restless rather quickly. On the other hand, it's a regular paycheck, and those aren't always easy to come by. Witness the rocky road for "K-Ville," Anderson's most recent series.

"Law & Order" impresario Dick Wolf has more than once argued that, in a full television season, about one third of the episodes of a given show will be really good, one third really bad and the other third in between. I'd put last night's "L&O" among the best of the season to date, and one of the best I have seen in recent years. …

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I'm more or less on holiday for the next few days, but the blog rolls on. I'm hoping to catch up on some new and returning shows as they become available, and I started with "Law & Order." It returns Jan. 2 but fans have been troubled by its long absence, and my mail has included several questions about it. Well, it's coming, and I have seen five episodes and I have a few things to say after the jump. (No plot spoilers, but a lot about the characters) …

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Here's the topper from NBC:

NBC will lawyer-up on Wednesday nights as the Emmy Award-winning "Law & Order" resumes with a two-hour season premiere event on Wednesday, January 2 (9-11 p.m. ET), and will continue on Wednesdays starting January 9 (10-11 p.m. ET) preceded by this season's network broadcast premiere of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (9-10 p.m. ET) in its return to NBC that night.

Continues after the jump …

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TNT offers "Sopranos" stars in a "Law & Order" marathon, after the jump …

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The mothership and "SVU" stay on NBC, "Criminal Intent" goes to USA, with the announcement after the jump …

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There's a lot of talk that this will be the last season for "Law & Order" on NBC — and almost as much talk that new episodes will air on TNT after the NBC run. I've been looking at the season finale, which airs on May 18, and it sure looks like a farewell of sorts.

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