•• Virginia Madsen has landed a guest-starring role as a potential love interest for Gregson. A new woman in Captain Gregson’s (Aidan Quinn) life will be introduced in an upcoming episode of “Elementary.”
The Sideways star will play Paige Cowen, a former NYPD detective involved in a budding relationship with Gregson (Aidan Quinn). Due to a scandal that forced her off the force, she’s been eager to protect Gregson by keeping their relationship under wraps.
Virginia Madsen, whose TV credits include Witches of East End and Hatfields & McCoys, will appear in an episode slated for early spring. Virginia Madsen isn’t the only new face that fans will meet when “Elementary” continues its season 4 run this week following a short winter break. As previously reported, viewers will also meet Joan’s (Lucy Liu) stepfather, which will be played by “Home Alone” actor John Heard, and Fiona Helbron (Betty Gilpin), who will be introduced as a potential love interest for Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) on the Jan. 21 episode of the show.
Elementary returns Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
•• Stills & HD screencaptures from this week’s episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit “Maternal Instincts” have been added to the photo gallery. Virginia Madsen guest starred in the episode as Beth Anne Rollins.
Internationally renowned flautist Anton Krasnikov meets up after a concert with a prostitute who drugs and robs him in a hotel room. While under the influence, Anton rapes a violinist who performed with him, but doesn’t remember committing the crime. Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) soon discovers that the prostitute is her fugitive sister, Kim (Lindsay Pulsipher), who framed her sister for murder and insurance fraud, before cleaning out Rollins’ apartment and skipping town in Season 14’s “Deadly Ambition.” Rollins tries to defuse the situation without alerting SVU of her sister’s involvement. However, it becomes increasingly difficult as their mother, Beth Anne (Virginia Madsen), tries to protect Kim and maintain her own delusional picture of family harmony. Rollins’ SVU colleagues eventually learn of Kim’s identity and arrest her, while Anton is charged with rape and remanded without bail.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief William Dodds (Peter Gallagher) has assigned his son Mike (Andy Karl) to take over as sergeant, now that Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) has been promoted to lieutenant. On his first day, Sgt. Dodds clashes with the other detectives, frequently overstepping his bounds.
Though Rollins begs Kim to plead guilty, Kim works her charms on her lawyer, Lorenzo DeSappio (Jason Cerbone), who agrees to let her plead not guilty and go to trial. Beth Anne is furious with Rollins for choosing work over family and leaves town. Rollins visits Kim in prison, where Kim reveals that since her relationship with DeSappio has escalated, she’s agreed to plead out on her prior offenses in exchange for a short prison sentence. After that, she says, she hopes DeSappio will ask her to marry him – confirming what Rollins already knows about her sister’s dangerous patterns of instability.
The captures do contain spoiler so beware if you haven’t seen the episode yet. Enjoy!
•• Virginia Madsen will appear in the sixth episode of season 17. Rollins’ (Kelli Giddish) family is coming to town this season on Law & Order: SVU. The NBC drama has tapped Virginia Madsen to play her mother, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The Sideways actress will be joined by True Blood alum Lindsay Pulsipher, who returns as Rollins’ troublesome sister, Kim.
Virginia Madsen will play Beth Anne Rollins, whom showrunner Warren Leight describes as a “very protective” matriarch. “In theory, Amanda Rollins is her successful daughter. [She’s] college-educated, a detective, moved to New York, so of course the mother likes the daughter who has a warrant out for her arrest, has been involved with very sketchy men and has run her life into the ground,” Leight tells THR. “Beth Anne Rollins thinks that daughter can’t make mistake and Amanda has turned her back on the family.”
Virginia Madsen and Pulsipher will both appear in the sixth episode of season 17, which coincidentally also marks Leight’s 100th episode since taking over as showrunner.. Virginia Madsen’s other credits include Monk, Hell on Wheels and Witches of East End. She is repped by UTA and Untitled Entertainment. Law & Order: SVU returns on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. on NBC.