NBC'S LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT TWO-HOUR MOVIE SPECIAL TO FEATURE VINCENT D'ONOFRIO, CHRIS NOTH, KATHRYN ERBE AND ANNABELLA SCIORRA, NOV. 6, 9-11 P.M. ET/PT

"Every now and then, a crime comes along that comes to act as a prism on contemporary society," says Executive Producer Rene Balcer.

Law & Order's Fred Thompson Guest Stars

NEW YORK -- November 3, 2005 -- In an unprecedented two-hour movie special, NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" features both alternating series leads ? Detectives Goren and Eames (Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe) and Logan and Barek (Chris Noth and Annabella Sciorra) -- in a story inspired by media headlines involving a missing teenager, (Nov. 6, 9-11 p.m. ET/PT).

"Every now and then, a crime comes along that comes to act as a prism on contemporary society," says Rene Balcer, Executive Producer, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." "The murder that inspired this episode is one such crime. We were fascinated by the way in which the murder was exploited by various journalistic and political interests -- and even I'll admit by us since we based an episode on this crime."

A media frenzy ensues as the four Detectives search for the teen, engulfing them in a political maze that ultimately reveals past history between Goren and Eames, as well as personal information about Goren's mom. Says D'Onofrio, "viewers are going to see a personal side of Goren, a side he doesn't allow exposed..."

On a school trip to New York City, a visiting Iowa teen disappears and the prime suspect Ethan (guest star Matt O'Leary), is a powerful judge's son. The case widens when it appears the accused's philandering father Harold (guest star Colm Meaney), is a co-conspirator who acted to protect his son ? and might be a murder suspect himself ? but he is not afraid to retaliate against the investigators. In doing so, he delves into the personal lives of the detectives who aim to catch him. Jamey Sheridan, Courtney B. Vance and Fred Dalton Thompson ("Law & Order") also star.

"Law & Order: Criminal Intent," which is currently in its fifth season, takes viewers into the minds of its criminals while following the psychological approaches the Major Case Squad uses to solve the crimes. Partners Logan and Barek join the Major Case Squad alongside long-time partners Detectives Goren and Eames to handle this week's case. The two Major Case Squad detective teams split the caseloads, fronting 11 episodes each.

"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" is a Wolf Films production in association with NBC Universal Television Studio and is Dick Wolf's third installment of the "Law and Order" brand, the second-longest running drama series in the history of television. Wolf, Rene Balcer, Fred Berner and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.