{
  "id": 325076,
  "title": "Law & Order Star Christopher Meloni Played A Teenage Rebel On Jim Henson's Dinosaurs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/law-order-star-christopher-meloni-played-a-teenage-rebel-on-jim",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-08T22:12:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TVLine",
    "slug": "tvline",
    "url": "https://www.tvline.com/2228930/law-and-order-christopher-meloni-jim-hensons-dinosaurs-role-spike/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Christopher Meloni, best known for his roles in Law & Order and Oz, played a memorable character in the 90s sitcom Dinosaurs. Aired by ABC in April 1991, Dinosaurs featured a family of anthropomorphic reptiles living in prehistoric times. Meloni voiced Spike, a cool, leather-jacket-clad Polacanthus who became Robbie Sinclair's best friend and sidekick. Introduced during the Season 2 episode \"How to Pick Up Girls,\" Spike offered Robbie unadvisable dating tips, often leading to embarrassing consequences. Known for his rebellious energy and colorful nicknames, Spike appeared in 11 episodes across Seasons 2 and 3 before disappearing from the show's fourth and final season. Despite his brief tenure, Spike left a lasting impression on the series and Meloni's career trajectory.",
  "summary": "Christopher Meloni, best known for his role as Detective Elliot Stabler in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, also had a brief stint voicing a character on the 1990s animated sitcom Dinosaurs. In April 1991, Meloni provided the voice of Spike, a rebellious Polacanthus character introduced in Season 2's \"How to Pick Up Girls.\" Spike was known for his leather jacket, flamboyant fashion sense, and questionable advice to his best friend Robbie Sinclair. Meloni voiced Spike for 11 episodes across Seasons 2 and 3 before the character disappeared from the series in Season 3's \"Charlene and Her Amazing Humans.\" After Dinosaurs concluded in 1994, Meloni's career skyrocketed, leading to roles in NYPD Blue, Oz, and eventually the Law & Order franchise.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}