The third season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent premiered in the United States on NBC on September 28, 2003 and ended May 23, 2004. The DVD was released in the United States on September 14, 2004.
Samantha Buck as Detective G. Lynn Bishop. Buck temporarily replaced Kathryn Erbe while she was on maternity leave. (Kathryn did appear briefly in a few episodes until her return.) Detective Bishop is introduced in episode 5, "Pravda," as the temporary partner of Det. Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio). She was assigned to the Major Case Squad of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) due to Det. Alexandra Eames volunteering to serve as a surrogate mother for her sister's baby. Bishop's shield number is 6141 - clearly legible in the episode titled, "F.P.S.".
Goren's unorthodox ways of solving a case was something Eames had become accustomed to. However, Bishop found Goren's methods difficult to keep up with, ultimately resulting in an often lack of chemistry between them. Goren further exacerbated the situation by making unfavorable comparisons between Bishop and Eames. Det. Bishop's final appearance was in episode 11, "Mad Hops."
A famous architect's (Olek Krupa) promiscuity becomes the key to solving the murder of a promising young designer who was his closest competitor for a prestigious commission, and Eames makes an announcement.
When a schizophrenic (Barry Del Sherman) obsessed with Marilyn Monroe and the cult of the blond and the blue-eyed commits a series of murders to eradicate those he feels are responsible for promoting the homogenization of appearance rampant in society, Goren and Eames suspect that a person close to the man may have taken advantage of his illness and his crimes to commit extortion.
Investigating the murder of a cameraman, Goren and Eames discover a Santeria priest (Bobby Cannavale) may have influenced the victim's mother and his killers. Goren discovers the truth lies in the priest devotion to his wife (Jane Adams).
When a bookkeeper goes missing, Goren and Eames are led back to the death of her brother, a hitman, two years earlier. An imprisoned mobster seems to be their best bet, but when another body turns up it takes the case to a whole new level.
Goren is assigned an interim partner (special guest star Samantha Buck as G. Lynn Bishop) after Eames (Erbe) goes on maternity leave. They focus their investigation of a murder on a star reporter whose past contains a history of plagiarism.
While tracking a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde (Rodney Hicks and Nikki M. James), Goren deduces that one of his suspects has an injured foot. It isn't long before Goren and Bishop realize the pair, who have already killed nine people including two undercover cops, are not the typical Bonnie and Clyde – the female partner is obviously the one in control.
The detectives try to link the suicide of an Argentine immigrant to her husband (Thomas G. Waites) who has a history of violence. While the subsequent investigation is not successful, they discover his hatred might be linked to a string of unsolved murders with the same MO.
Goren and Bishop pursue a teenage Svengali (Billy Lush) who convinces three impressionable young girls to commit multiple homicides in the cause of a twisted philosophy.
The bludgeoning of a rich family patriarch has the detectives investigating several suspects, each with their own motives: his estranged wife whom he was about to divorce, a male friend of hers who was a parolee, their children's nanny, the victim's brother-in-law who is a doctor, even the oldest son. Goren and Carver call the family of suspects together to sort it all out… in family court.
Goren reaches into his own experience working with a partner to solve the murder of a gamer who appears to be connected to a network of thieves using spyware to commit fraud, while Eames gives birth.
The murder of a private investigator, who was tracking down the whereabouts of a prominent high school basketball player, has the detectives searching the local courts to discover a link to gamblers and college recruiters until they learn that several other prominent players were transferred to the same school - one with a championship tradition.
Goren and Eames uncover how a rich woman's unrequited lust for fame and a professional fundraiser's desperation to pay off a loan shark may have contributed to the murders of the woman's husband and the fundraiser's mother.
A terminally ill bank robber (Charles Rocket, in his final acting role), who is angered by the ravages of his illness, exerts what little control he has left in life by manipulating the unwitting accomplices he enlists to assist him with committing his final robberies. Goren and Eames are forced into a race against time to foil his plan for suicide-by-cop that will take both his life and that of his latest accomplice.
Goren and Eames stumble upon a web of corporate corruption that involves fraud, bribery, identity theft, and a conspiracy to sell lethally contaminated blood products as they investigate the murder of a pharmaceutical sales rep.
The daughter of narcissisticpsychotherapists takes desperate measures to exact her revenge for years of their abuse and neglect, leading to tragedy for a young man caught in the web of her parents' promiscuity, mind games and competitiveness.
A man (Stephen Colbert) commits fraud, forgery, and murder to discredit the religious organization that took advantage of his mentally ill mother, impoverished his family, and ruined his childhood.
A neurologist who believes she can communicate with a woman in a persistent vegetative state is murdered by a family member (John Savage) who fears the doctor will uncover the multi-million dollar motive that led to the woman's disability.
A stable worker resorts to heroin smuggling, deception, extortion, and murder to finance the purchase of the farm and foundation stallion that will provide a leg up on the horsey set's social ladder.
After a protected witness is shot dead in a restaurant, Goren and Eames find themselves on the trail of a trio of young mobsters. They finally figure out a young man named Chops (Leo Fitzpatrick) is the key, but can't find anyone willing to turn on him.
The investigation into the death of a woman searching for the whereabouts of her late mother's antique ring leads Goren and Eames to a physician serial killer (Kevin Tighe) who has cleverly concealed the murder of over two hundred of his patients. Inspired by Harold Shipman murders.
A police officer is framed for a triple homicide by a greedy woman, who is enmeshed in a bitter divorce settlement and takes advantage of the officer's sleepwalking to exact her revenge.
