Why Law & Order Guest Stars Sherri Saum and Arica Himmel Look Familiar
Detectives on Law & Order were tasked with tracking down a shady entertainment mogul's killer in an episode that included guest stars Sherri Saum, Arica Himmel and several ER alums.
Season 24, Episode 10 of Law & Order prescribed a temporary fix for fans of ER who miss the medical show that ended in 2009.
A mini ER reunion took place in the episode, titled “Greater Good,” that included guest stars Mekhi Phifer and Michael Beach, who both played long-running characters on the beloved hospital-set drama. They appeared in the Law & Order installment along with ER alum Maura Tierney, who joined the cast of the legal show at the start of Season 24 as Lieutenant Jessica Brady. The reunion was rounded out by Eriq La Salle, known to ER fans as Dr. Peter Benton, who pitched in off-screen to direct the episode.
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But the ER veterans weren’t the only familiar faces to contribute to the powerful episode. Guest stars Sherri Saum, Arica Himmel, and Karen Chinasa Obilom also took on pivotal roles to help bring together the story of a high-powered entertainment mogul — suspected of sexually assaulting dozens of victims — whose alleged crimes came into focus after he was found shot to death outside a party.
Read on to find out more about where you may have seen Himmel and Saum before.
In the “Greater Good” episode, Sherri Saum played grieving widow Andrea Morgan, whose main focus in the wake of the death of her husband, music producer and mogul Wes Morgan, was preserving his reputation and keeping his alleged dark deeds under wraps.
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What else has Sherri Saum been in?
Many may recognize Saum from her long-running role as matriarch Lena Adams Foster on the family drama The Fosters, which ran from 2013 to 2018. She reprised the role in the spin-off Good Trouble, which followed two members of the Foster clan after they moved to Los Angeles, according to her bio on IMDB.
Saum has also had recent multi-episode arcs on TV series like Locke & Key, Roswell, New Mexico, Limetown, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., CSI: Las Vegas, and on the 2023 Peacock limited series Mrs. Davis.
Saum is also no stranger to the Law & Order universe, having previously guest-starred on Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Trial by Jury in 2006 and 2005, respectively. The Ohio native also had guest-starring roles on other popular shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, and Gossip Girl.
On Law & Order, Arica Himmel portrayed aspiring musician Angela Ross, who fell victim to Wes Morgan and his promise of jump-starting her career. Angela's father, Lyman Ross, played by Phifer, took matters into his own hands after he found out about his daughter’s sexual abuse, tracked down Wes outside a party and shot him. Beach reprised his role as defense attorney Brian Harris, who tried to get Lyman off using a claim of self-defense.
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What has Arica Himmel appeared in?
Himmel is perhaps best known for portraying the teenage version of Rainbow Johnson, first in an episode of Blackish and then in the spin-off, Mixed-ish (Tracee Ellis Ross memorably played the adult version of Rainbow in the series). Since Mixed-ish wrapped in 2021, Himmel has gone on to appear in other TV series including Side Hustle, Maggie, and Parish. In 2023, she took on the role of Zenobia in the romantic comedy Prom Pact.
Aside from Himmel, Saum and the ER alums, “Greater Good” also saw Karen Chinasa Obilom guest star as an undercover cop named Vanessa Washington, who's reluctant to provide testimony that would put Wes’ killer away. Fans may recognize the actress from her three-episode 2023 stint on Grey’s Anatomy, her seven-episode run on Send Help, or her role on Games People Play, or Doom Patrol.
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The polarizing episode ended with Lyman’s conviction, sending the father of three to prison for pulling the trigger.
To find out what case the Law & Order police and district attorney teams will tackle next, watch Season 24 on Thursdays at 8/7c p.m. on NBC or stream the episodes when they arrive on Peacock.
