David Ajala might be the new guy on the Law & Order block, but he’s fitting in just fine.

Ajala, who joined the mothership series as Det. Theo Walker, says his experience so far has been a “very wonderful, humbling” one — and he’s especially excited for audiences to get to see his character develop.

“[Theo’s] doing two things at the same time: forging his own identity, but also understanding the lay of the land. So in and amongst all of that, I just want to allow this character to evolve on screen in real time, however that looks,” says London-born Ajala. “That’s what I want to try and do as authentically as possible.”

Still, Ajala notes that joining the storied franchise was, of course, “a little daunting.”

“Because it’s such a big show, right? And it’s part of popular culture. It’s been around for so many years, and there’s a reason why a show like this continues to do so well and resonate with so many people,” he shares. “It’s always exciting when they’re able to bring in a new character to just add to that dynamic and bring a new energy.”

Ajala’s addition to the show comes after Mehcad Brooks, who played Det. Jalen Shaw, exited the series last year. And, when both Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU return from winter hiatus on Jan. 8, Ajala is excited for fans to see his character get to work with some familiar faces.

“It’s a big deal. It really is. I think with the guys behind the camera, they are really trying to pull off something that’s never been done before. So I like that level of ambition,” he says. “But I have to say, this crossover episode is pretty full. A lot happens. A lot of action and characters meeting each other for the first time. We covered some ground.”

According to NBC, the 2-hour crossover episode is titled “Snowflakes” from 8-9 p.m. ET, and “Purity” from 9-10 p.m. ET. It will feature the casts of both series: Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Ice-T, Aimé Donna Kelly, Peter Scanavino, Kevin Kane, Tony Goldwyn, Hugh Dancy, Maura Tierney, Odelya Halevi and Reid Scott, among others.

Ajala and Ice-T, for example, seem to have become fast friends already.

“Ice is just a cool cat to work with, and I love when he just tells stories sometimes,” Ajala shares. “When we have little bits of downtime in between shootings, he’ll just naturally go into a little story and his stories are just fascinating. Sometimes profound, sometimes entertaining, sometimes outright just funny and hilarious.”

Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU will return for the 2-hour special on Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.