Two actors debut in ‘L&O’ season-opener

Tonight’s must-see

“Law & Order” season-opener, 9 and 10 p.m., NBC. Last year, two terrific actors – Jeremy Sisto and Linus Roache – were opposite each other in an NBC show (“Kidnapped”) that few people watched. Sisto played a freelancer, Roache was a federal agent and their characters were instant enemies.

Now both have been added to “Law & Order.” It’s the sort of intensity injection this once-sleepy show needed.

As it happens, the first hour is disappointing. The story – involving right-to-die issues – requires coincidences and a melodramatic ending.

The second hour also stretches credibility, but it’s much stronger. As a blackout hits New York, there’s a murder and a kidnapping; emotions sizzle, bringing ethical crises.

Sisto gets to be an action hero during that second hour, in a couple of early chase scenes. In some other week, viewers will probably see just how intense he can be.

But the real passion comes from Roache, as the chief assistant district attorney. That’s the position previously held by Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), who kept his emotions just under the surface. Now McCoy moves up to district attorney; Roache takes his old job, often seeming ready to explode.

Other choices include

“Wife Swap” season-opener, 8 p.m., ABC. One woman encourages her daughter to enter beauty pageants; another pushes academics and independence. Now they trade places.

“Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil and the Presidency,” 8-10 p.m., KSPS. Few lives can match the highs and lows of Andrew Jackson. Praised as a defender of the common man, he also owned more than 100 slaves, led an unauthorized invasion of Florida and violently wrenched land from the Indians. “

“Supernanny” season-opener, 9 and 10 p.m., ABC. Both hours involve twins – 3-year-olds first, then 4-year-olds who are often cared for by their teen siblings.