Philip Winchester’s Law and Order SVU debut to re-air
SVU fans can rewatch Philip Winchester’s first episode this week, as the former Chicago Justice star’s debut will get a repeat broadcast on NBC.
If you missed Philip Winchester‘s first episode of Law & Order: SVU, you’ll have a chance to see it again this week.
As part of the network’s planned schedule of reruns this summer, NBC is re-airing the episode in which Winchester officially moves from Chicago Justice to Dick Wolf‘s Law & Order franchise.
In “The Undiscovered Country,” Chicago prosecutor Peter Stone (played by Winchester) returns to New York because of the death of his father, former New York prosecutor Ben Stone.
While Peter is back in his hometown settling his father’s affairs, he’s enlisted by District Attorney Jack McCoy (special guest star Sam Waterston) to act as a special prosecutor on a very sensitive case.
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Stone is asked by McCoy to prosecute SVU‘s incumbent Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba (Raul Esparza), which puts Stone at odds with the rest of the cast—particularly with Barba’s colleague and close friend Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay).
The episode, written by former Chicago Justice and now SVU showrunner Michael Chernuchin, writes out the Barba character. Philip Winchester is added to the main cast the following week, when it’s made clear that Stone replaced Barba in the DA’s Office.
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“The Undiscovered Country” will repeat this Thursday, July 5 at 10:00 p.m. on NBC.
If you missed the episode when it originally aired in February, it’s well worth checking out. It is a strong farewell for Raul Esparza (who elected to leave SVU and subsequently returned to theatre), while also setting up Philip Winchester’s arrival in a unique and compelling way.
Given that Philip Winchester is returning for Law & Order: SVU season 20, which premieres on Sept. 27, Thursday’s repeat is an opportunity for audiences to revisit the character’s arrival in New York and the backstory that came with it.
With the transition between Winchester and Raul Esparza happening in the middle of the season, and coming as a surprise (NBC billed Winchester as a recurring guest star in this episode and even when his move was first announced), the switch wasn’t entirely smooth.
It took some time for viewers to get used to Peter Stone, so by going back to his first episode, that creates a chance for audiences to re-evaluate that first impression—or fill in the blanks if they missed his debut entirely. Plus, it’s one of the best episodes of the season, so there’s every reason to watch!
Next: What we know about SVU season 20
For the latest Law and Order: SVU spoilers and news, plus more on everything about the series, follow the Dick Wolf category at One Chicago Center.