‘Law & Order’ hires a Soprano

Michael Imperioli, who won an Emmy for his work on “The Sopranos,” will temporarily join NBC’s “Law & Order” to replace Jesse L. Martin while he is off making the film version of the musical “Rent.”

Imperioli will appear in the final few episodes of the drama this season, playing a detective who is the nephew of the character portrayed by Dennis Farina. Martin, who is in his sixth season as Det. Ed Green, will be back in the fall, executive producer Dick Wolf said. Martin was in the original cast of the Broadway production of “Rent.”