"In honor of what would have been the actor’s 71st birthday on Oct. 20," reads the TNT release, the network celebrates "I Love Lennie" starting Oct. 2 and running throughout the month.
The event featuring the three-time Emmy Award nominee will include back-to-back episodes airing Mondays 8-11 PM (ET) and Tuesdays 8 PM-midnight. (Check your local listings.) Daytime episodes which will air Oct. 2-6 at 2 and 3 PM will focus on crucial moments in Lennie Briscoe’s life and career.
At the time of his death, Orbach was reprising his role — which he played for 12 seasons on the original drama — for the short-lived spinoff "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" opposite fellow Broadway star Bebe Neuwirth.
Among Orbach's stage roles included El Gallo in the original Off-Broadway run of The Fantasticks, Billy Flynn in the 1975 musical Chicago and Julian Marsh in the original 42nd Street. He also earned a Tony Award for Promises, Promises. The actor was also known for his film turns in "Crimes and Misdemeanors," "Dirty Dancing," "Someone to Watch Over Me" and as the voice of Lumiere in the animated "Beauty and the Beast."
The line-up for the "Law & Order" daytime episodes (Oct. 2-6) are as follows: Oct. 2:
