Maura Tierney is officially back on NBC Thursday nights with her new Law & Order role. Before that, you could see her in American Rust, and when she stopped by to talk about that shocking Season 2 finale, TV Insider had her look back on her TV career, which began with Student Exchange in 1987.
Soon after that came The Van Dyke Show. “Working with Dick Van Dyke was—he’s the nicest guy and a legend, and I grew up watching his show, and his son Barry was great,” Tierney recalled.
She then did Family Ties because her little brother loved the show. After that came a guest spot on Law & Order in 1991, and she admits she barely remembers it. (She’s far from the first person to guest star on one of the shows in the franchise before joining as a new character later.)
Many know her from ER, which she loved. “I was sort of a bridge between the original crew [and the new one],” she said. “I was there when a lot of them left, and then a lot of people came on. We’re all still friends, and we had a blast doing that show.” She went on to do an arc on The Good Wife, where she enjoyed catching up with Julianna Margulies.
Following ER was Rescue Me. “They called me up and offered me this arc for this character that was completely different from Nurse Abby, manager for rock and roll bands. And it was fun. I got to run out of a burning building, and I just was so happy to so quickly get to play a character that was a disaster.”
Watch the full video above for more from Tierney looking back on her roles, including the only time she was a cartoon and one of the first streaming shows, along with The Affair, Your Honor, and American Rust.
—Reporting by Leah Williams