LAW & ORDER’s Reid Scott Teases the Arrival of Riley’s ‘Thorn in the Side’ Brother

October 16, 2024 by Marisa Roffman

LAW & ORDER — “”Big Brother”” Episode 24002 — Pictured: (l-r) Reid Scott as Det. Vincent Riley, Ryan Eggold as Matt Riley — (Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/NBC)

LAW & ORDER introduces Matt Riley (Ryan Eggold) on the Thursday, October 17 episode…much to the chagrin (and headache) of his brother Detective Vincent Riley (Reid Scott).

“Oh, they could not be any more different,” Scott tells Give Me My Remote. “It’s almost amazing that they share any DNA at all, except for their attitude and their Brooklyn accent that comes out when [Vincent] Riley gets pissed. Other than that, they are complete opposites, which is so fun to play.”

“Riley is maybe not [a] straight and narrow kind of cop, but he went down the path of righteousness, as it were,” he continues. “And his brother is the exact opposite. He’s a bit of a ne’er do well. He runs with a pretty rough crowd, has got a bit of a checkered past. And I think the history between the two of them has really frayed the relationship.”

In “Big Brother,” Matt becomes entangled with a suspect in a murder Vincent is investigating—on the heels of Matt’s own legal issues.

“It’s a thorn in the side for Riley,” Scott previews. “I think he’s been digging his brother out of trouble his entire life. So when he discovers that his brother is embroiled in this particular case, I don’t think he’s shocked by that news, but I think he’s just endlessly disappointed that, man, here we go again, and now it’s crossing a line into my professional life in a way that maybe it hasn’t before.”

Matt has a “pending gun charge in his life,” showrunner Rick Eid teases. “So when it lines up [that] he’s connected to this [case] a little bit, if he can help us, Riley can get the gun charge, hopefully, dismissed…[but] the more Riley tries to help his brother, the more complicated it all gets.”

That also causes tension as Riley has to try and navigate his professional relationships “very carefully,” Scott says with a laugh.

“He knows he’s putting himself on the line with trying to help his brother,” Scott acknowledges. “I don’t think Riley’s ever gonna break the law, but he’s a human being. I think under the right circumstances, he’s the kind of guy who may be willing to bend it—and this is one of those circumstances. But things will only bend so far before they break, and I think Riley really gets pushed to that brink. And it’s putting him in jeopardy professionally, it’s putting him in jeopardy personally. He’s literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. This is the kind of case where Riley loses a lot of sleep over it because the stakes are just so high: Not only trying to serve justice but also help his family.”

LAW & ORDER — “Big Brother” Episode 24002 — Pictured: (l-r) Reid Scott as Det. Vincent Riley, Mehcad Brooks as Det. Jalen Shaw — (Photo by: Scott Gries/NBC)

The duo’s complex familial history weighs on Vincent throughout the investigation. “All the emotions come up where he sees his brother has put himself in harm’s way, and will not do the things to help himself get out of trouble,” Scott says. “So it’s a very complicated situation for Riley. He’s trying to do right by the law, which is his job, but he’s also trying to do right by his brother, and they’re not necessarily the same solution. He really has to wrestle with that. And I loved that we got to see that side of Riley and really kind of see what kind of guy he is at the end of the day, and—without giving it away—to see the very hard choice that he has to make, and what that means for him.”

“Vincent is just sick and tired of bailing out his little brother for the millionth time here, but it also gave us really, really fun stuff to play with,” he continues. “And it’s that kind of tension, that kind of drama, that we love to watch. We don’t want to watch two brothers who just absolutely adore each other. We want to watch two brothers that can’t stand each other and drive each other crazy.”

Though television viewers may know Eggold from NEW AMSTERDAM, THE BLACKLIST, and 90210, Scott has a long history with the actor. “He’s the worst,” Scott deadpans. “He’s the absolute worst.”

Turning serious, Scott calls Eggold “an absolute blast.” “I’ve known Ryan for a really long time, from our days back in LA,” he says. “He went to USC with a bunch of my buddies. He and my wife studied together; they were scene partners at USC drama school and we’ve all known each other for a really long time. He and I got to do a movie together [BESIDE STILL WATERS] about 12 or so years ago, and just had a blast.”

“We work really well together, and we just get along so well,” he continues. “And we have the same sensibilities, the same sense of humor. So when he joined us, it was just a dream because we got to figure out this whole backstory in like 20 minutes…we brought our own backstory, and our own quirks, to the table. He’s such a brilliant actor and such a great scene partner; he knew the game. He knew what we were after, and we both danced the dance, and we knew how to play with each other in all the right ways. So what we were able to explore and sort of discover over the course of shooting the episode was just so much fun. Everybody ended this episode with a giant smile on their face, despite how tired and sweaty and beat up we were. It was just a real treat.”

Despite the duo’s real-life history, Eggold joining the series as his brother “was more coincidence than anything else.”

“No one consults me on anything; I haven’t reached that stature yet, apparently,” Scott jokes. “There were a few names that were floating around, and I happened to know two or three of them pretty well! I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be great, whoever you choose, because I know these guys and we’re going to have a great time.’ And it worked out that Ryan got the call, and I was just stoked.”

“I mean, he’s one of those rare television stars that can kind of do anything,” he continues. “He can handle the comedy, he can do the drama, and he’s just endlessly inventive and creative and down to play, and really patient. We just had a great time.”

Plus, watch a clip from “Big Brother” as Riley confronts Matt…

LAW & ORDER, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC

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LAW & ORDER’s Reid Scott Teases the Arrival of Riley’s ‘Thorn in the Side’ Brother

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