LAW & ORDER: Reid Scott Previews the Introduction to Riley’s Daughter and a ‘Particularly Hard’ Case in ‘A Perfect Family’

April 2, 2025 by Marisa Roffman

LAW & ORDER — “A Perfect Family” Episode 24018 — Pictured: Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)

LAW & ORDER introduces Riley’s (Reid Scott) daughter, Bridget (Justine Colan), in the Thursday, April 3 episode, “A Perfect Family.”

“It was one my most favorite moments of the entire season, to be honest,” Scott tells Give Me My Remote. “Anything that [gives] clues and insights into our heroes’ backstories and our personal lives I just find really interesting as an actor; those are the things that I always look to kind of dig in on. Leading up to it, the writers and I were talking about it, and they told me what they envisioned and knew what the general family dynamic [for] Riley was. So I was really excited to get to work with [Colan].”

As for the father-daughter dynamic, “I wouldn’t say it’s an overly complicated relationship,” Scott notes. “I think it’s probably pretty prototypical for today, to be honest: She’s a 13-year-old girl who is stuck on her phone most of the time. And they feel worlds away. But as a dad, I think—like many dads—[he] has a little bit of trouble reaching her, or getting through to her. Or vice versa—[he has trouble] being open and available to her the way a child of her generation might need. They clearly care about each other. That’s definitely the kind of dad that Riley is.”

“But I think he goes on a bit of a journey in this episode,” he continues. “It starts in one place, where everything is sort of very routine, and I think he gets this nice wake-up call. I can say, as a parent, I hope that if I’m due for that kind of wake-up call [in real life], I get it, too. Where [you see] it’s time to connect with your child in a way that maybe you didn’t think was necessary, but here we are. And now it’s time to really bridge that gap and reinforce that bond. It was really fun to play.”

LAW & ORDER — “A Perfect Family” Episode 24018 — Pictured: (l-r) Justine Colan as Bridget Riley, Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)

Complicating matters for Riley is the case the team is working on: A child is thrown to her death, and the NYPD has to figure out how and why she was killed.

“The case is a tough one for Riley,” Scott previews. “He tends to be very triggered by any cases involving young people, in general, but especially any violence against young women. And this one hits him particularly hard because…the young woman is a child. A child he comes to find was being abused at the hands of a mother [played by A MILLION LITTLE THINGS’ Allison Miller] who was mentally unwell.”

“But before they even get to that, it’s calling into question his own relationship with his daughter,” he continues. “To make sure that he really does know what’s going on in her life, and that he really is there for her in the way that he might need to be. Hopefully, he’s not missing any signs. What does he do about that, even if he does get a signal or a clue, here and there, that his own daughter might be in crisis? So I think his world spins on him in this episode, and he does the best he can to [work] the case without bias.”

The actor warns it might be harder than normal for Riley to actually put his feelings aside here. “He’s only human, as are all detectives and all police,” Scott says. “It’s hard to separate your personal life in this kind of job. And I think this is a particular case that really tests that for Riley.”

LAW & ORDER — “A Perfect Family” Episode 24018 — Pictured: (l-r) Maura Tierney as Lieutenant Jessica Brady, Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)

By Riley’s side during the ordeal is his boss, Brady (Maura Tierney), who he partners up with on the case. Now, after months of getting to know each other, “I think he really appreciates her at this point,” Riley says of the duo’s working relationship. “I think there was always a lot of mutual respect, even though they kind of had to sniff that out from one another beginning. I think Riley’s gruffness at times was maybe, you know, misinterpreted. But they definitely bury that hatchet.”

“By the time we see them working together in this particular case, they work really well together,” he continues. “I think Riley appreciates how Brady can pick up on cues and clues that live around the edges. Things that might be overlooked. She has a very unique way of looking at things and putting the pieces together, and I think he really appreciates that because that’s the kind of detective he is, as well. So they both bring their particular skill set to this case, but coming at it from two different—not too dissimilar, because they’re both parents [and] I think they’re both affected in the same way—approaches.”

And, spoiler alert, they are able to get some answers. “Luckily, [with] their approach, they crack the case—which has never happened before in the history of LAW & ORDER,” Scott jokes. “It’s very unusual.”

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

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LAW & ORDER: Reid Scott Previews the Introduction to Riley’s Daughter and a ‘Particularly Hard’ Case in ‘A Perfect Family’

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