On Friday's (April 15) episode of "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," Richard Belzer guest-stars as his "Law & Order: SVU" character, Detective John Munch.
By itself, his appearance on a different "Law & Order" show isn't all that remarkable. Characters from the four shows occasionally pop up on their sibling series, and several regulars from the "L&O" mothership will also appear in Friday's episode.
What makes Belzer's guest spot special is that with it, he'll be carving out a little place for himself in the annals of primetime. With the episode, Belzer will have played Munch on six different series; no one other than him has done as many as five different shows as the same character.
Munch began life on NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street" in 1993. That show did a couple of crossover episodes with "Law & Order" in 1996 and '97. Belzer then spoofed his character's (and his own) penchant for conspiracy theories in an episode of "The X-Files" in November 1997.
Following "Homicide's" cancellation at the end of the 1998-99 season, Munch moved to New York and took a job with "SVU"; Belzer has been a regular for all six seasons. He also guest-starred on UPN's short-lived "The Beat" -- which was created by "Homicide" vet Tom Fontana -- in 2000. |
