Once Fired From "Law & Order," Andrew McCarthy Returns

Andrew McCarthy turns up on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" tonight (Nov. 29) as an ambitious Bronx district attorney in a story that has a certain familiarity about it for those who followed the Duke lacrosse team rape-accusation case. And that brings full circle McCarthy's relationship with the show he departed angrily four and a half years ago in the wake of a falling out with Vincent D'Onofrio.

Once Fired From "Law & Order," Andrew McCarthy Returns (Image: Wenn)

"I was fired because I refused to allow a fellow actor to threaten me with physical violence, bully me and try to direct me," McCarthy was quoted saying at the time. Now, not surprisingly, the one-time Brat Pack heartthrob is in a Chris Noth-led episode of the USA series rather than a D'Onofrio-led installment.

"The show runner, Warren Leight, is a good friend of mine. We did 'Side Man' together," McCarthy tells us, referring to Leight's Tony-winning play, in which he starred on Broadway. "Warren said, 'Want to try my show again?' At first I said, 'I don't know ' But it worked out well. Chris is great, and my character is interesting; he may have done something not quite ethical."

Now, "CI" production is down as Leight and the rest of the writers are on strike. McCarthy, meanwhile, has the independent horror thriller "Camp Hope" in the can and Paramount's feature adaptation of the best-selling "The Spiderwick Chronicles" children's book, produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, on the way. Plus, he plays "the billionaire about town" in Candace Bushnell's "Lipstick Jungle" series coming up on NBC midseason. No wonder he and Chris "Mr. Big" Noth got along -- they have a lot in common.

"It's been a good year so far," says McCarthy.