What to know about Maura Tierney's Jessica Brady, Law and Order's "tough" new lieutenant

There's a new lieutenant in town on Law and Order! As Camryn Manheim exits as Lt. Kate Dixon in season 24, we'll be introduced to Jessica Brady. The new boss is going to be quite the change for Riley and Shaw as she's very hands on.

Maura Tierney, the actress set to play hardball with the procedural's criminals, teased what viewers can expect from her character in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"She’s tough, and she’s very, very, very smart. Her gut instinct is very strong, she leans on it, and she expects people to listen to her when she talks."

That latter part is key because Brady is going to be active in the field, and she doesn't really care if her detectives like her or not. What's important is the case and getting to the bottom of what happened to their victim, who's responsible, and putting that person (or persons) in jail.

Tierney shared that Brady has "a hyper attention to detail, which serves her well in her job, but that doesn't make her super fun." Though that's not to say the lieutenant won't have a sense of humor to her, she's just not what you'd call particularly charming.

In the season 24 premiere, "Catch and Kill," Brady's first case on-screen is one that involves the killing of a Brooklyn prosecutor. The woman was murdered in her own apartment. The lieutenant will be flexing her skills in order to bring the person who committed the crime to justice, but Riley is going to struggle. He's chafing under Brady's leadership, so we're in for an acclimation period for the two.

The clashes aren't going to stop there either. Episode 2 sees Mariska Hargitay making a crossover for an investigation into an AI dating app. Benson and Brady do know each other, but they're going to butt heads over a legal matter that they disagree on during the case.

As you can see, Brady isn't one not to speak her mind. She pushes for her point to be understood and for action to be taken. However, it's not just the lieutenant's work life that we'll be diving into this season. We will see how her home life will affect her job as well since Law and Order is leaning into developing the personal lives of the characters.

Lt. Jessica Brady makes her debut in Law and Order season 24's premiere which premieres Thursday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Next day streaming will be available on Peacock. Looking for what else to watch in October? Check out our list of must-watch series and stay tuned to Americans Undercover for more news and coverage!