More New Blood at 'Law & Order'

Zap2It.com | June 16, 2006

Alana de la Garza

De la Garza stepping into long-running NBC show

Alana de la Garza knows a little bit about acting on a crime procedural, having spent much of last season in a recurring part on "CSI: Miami." Come fall, she'll take that experience to the current granddaddy of all crime shows, NBC's "Law & Order."

De la Garza will play the new second-chair prosecutor for Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), according to several news reports. She steps into the role vacated by Annie Parisse, who left the show at the end of this season (her character, ADA Alexandra Borgia, was killed in the season finale).

The addition of de la Garza is one of several changes the venerable show is making for its 17th season, which will find the show moving from its long-time Wednesday home to Friday nights. The show will also welcome a new cop to its ensemble following the departure of Dennis Farina, who played Detective Joe Fontana for the past two seasons.

Earlier reports said that Milena Govich, a star of the now-cancelled "Conviction" -- which, like the "Law & Order" franchise, was created by Dick Wolf -- is joining the cast of "L&O" as well, either as Fontana's replacement or a new character. She played a prosecutor on "Conviction."

De la Garza played Marisol Delko, the sister of criminologist Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez) and a love interest for David Caruso's Horatio Caine, on "CSI: Miami" this past season. She was a regular on The WB's short-lived drama "The Mountain" in 2004 and has also appeared on "Las Vegas," "JAG" and "Smallville."