Beach to help Wolf beat Gunsmoke

New faces freshen 'Law & Order'The granddaddy of crime dramas is heading into its 18th season on NBC this year, which won't start until January when "Law & Order" moves into its new 8 p.m. Sunday home after "Sunday Night Football" finishes up its schedule of NFL games.

"Gunsmoke," the legendary Western starring James Arness, ran for 20 years on CBS from 1955 to 1975. That's the astonishing record Wolf is determined to harpoon.How Wolf will do it:To freshen up the "Law & Order" brand this fall, Wolf is adding a trio of new young performers to the various "L&O" series in hopes of luring younger viewers.

Jeremy Sisto ("Kidnapped," "Six Feet Under") is joining the original "Law & Order" to play the new detective partner of Jesse L. Martin's Det. Ed Green. Alicia Witt ("The Upside of Anger") has been added to "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" for six episodes. And Adam Beach ("Flags of Our Fathers") is the new cast regular on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," playing an American Indian detective from Brooklyn.