#hughdancy

My beloved Homicide: Life on the Street

Imagine my thrill when I was in high school and my civics teacher was feeling particularly lazy and would throw on a Law & Order episode. I was probably the only kid in class that would lock in during these viewings.

By the time 1999 rolled around, Law & Order: Special Victim Unit made its debut and I was ALL over that shit, and didn't watch much regular L&O anymore.

Fast forward to now, the big '26, and I am now the mother of a very, very cool child. My baby is 15 and their favorite show is Hannibal. Have I seen Hannibal before my kiddo wanted to watch it? Of course I did. ADA Rafael Barba was on it, and my queen Gillian Anderson, don't be ridiculous. But, when my kiddo wanted to watch it, maybe about 8 or 9 years after I initially watched it, I got to see it through their eyes, which makes everything so much better. Naturally, my kiddo zeroed in on Hugh Dancy (hence this blog we share....even though I do most of the writing) and he became their most favorite person ever.

Will Graham, the catalyst

In an attempt to seek our more Hugh, I discovered he was on the Law & Order reboot. I was THRILLED. I hadn't watched any variation of L&O in years! I hyped L&O up so much to my kid, you would think I was taking them to Disney World.

Law & Order: Original Recipe was cancelled in 2010, meanwhile SVU kept trucking along with the especially heinous. 12 years later, it was back. Sam Waterston was still on board as legendary District Attorney Jack McCoy, but the rest of the crew was new. Hugh Dancy joined the main cast as ADA Nolan Price, quite possibly my child's second favorite Hugh Dancy character.

Hugh as Nolan Price

Nolan seemed like any other ADA that came before him. My personal fav (non-SVU version) was Michael Cutter, played by Linus Roache. Why did I like him so much? I honestly can't remember. I think I thought he was kinda cute, and his British accent was barely concealed. Nolan reminded me of Cutter, and not just because he was also being played by a British guy. But, the physicality, the style, Nolan was like a Cutter echo.

Much to our utter joy, Nolan Price had been paired with someone who we have deemed his Emotional Support Baddie, ADA Samantha Maroun, played by quite possibly the most beautiful woman ever, Odelya Halevi. Her and Nolan have what my kiddo has described as "big Janice and Damien energy." He's pragmatic, has a big ego, and is ruled by the law with very few shades of gray. Meanwhile, Sam is a little more loosey goosey when it comes to er, ethics, I guess you could say. Plus, she's not afraid to get up in some guy's face, which I always appreciate as a woman. These two are such a delight to watch together. And the ONE time he threatened to fire Sam...well, just know he has never, ever threatened to do that again (we made up a scenario where Sam slashed his tires and Nolan learned his lesson).

Emotional Support Baddie Sam Maroun

However, I took pause at the most recent L&O episode that aired on March 12, 2026. Nolan seemed super duper out of character. The smug nod to the police captain that he indeed had enough info out of a suspect interview, the extra sassyness, a comment made about him "advancing in his career," him getting chewed out by a witness on her way out of the courtroom. My chest seized a little. Is Hugh Dancy preparing to exit Law & Order? Or, is Nolan just becoming a little more of a dick? Only time will tell, I guess.

Out of all the Hugh Dancy projects me and my kiddo have watched, Nolan Price has to be one of my favorite characters. I am biased, being a L&O fan, but he's a great addition to the Dancy character collective. My kiddo loves his so much they want to make a Nolan Price photocard to put in their Ita bag.

So, here’s a simple little drawing to celebrate this week of spooky season! What could be better than him, this pumpkin king! 🎃

wip