Several characters are leaving shows across the Law & Order franchise ahead of 2024. This franchise has been going strong on NBC for over two decades, although there was a 10-year hiatus between seasons 20 and 21 of the original Law & Order. Many of the best episodes of Law & Order include iconic characters, some of whom will not be returning for the 2024-2025 season. There are also a couple of characters leaving Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Considering the franchise’s longevity, some cast changes are inevitable each season. The good news is that both Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU are losing only a couple of cast members each, and Law & Order: SVU season 26 has established Benson’s team, which includes some new characters taking the departing characters’ places. While Law & Order: Organized Crime is not losing any main cast members, some previous villains’ storylines have come to an end, so those cast members will not be returning for season 5.
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Sam Waterston As Jack McCoy
Law & Order
Sam Waterston’s exit from Law & Order after 20 years was as shocking as it was sad. Waterston is one of the actors most closely associated with the franchise, having replaced Michael Moriarity’s Benjamin Stone in 2005 and stuck with the series for eighteen years afterward. He originally was a passionate assistant district attorney, but had been elected to the Manhattan DA’s office before the soft reboot and has made crossover appearances on Law & Order: SVU.
During McCoy’s long tenure, he tried many important cases. One of McCoy’s best stories involved his attempt to prosecute someone who killed others while driving drunk, which was nearly impossible for him after his colleague and lover, Claire Kincaid, was killed in a drunk driving accident. Once McCoy ascended to the top position, however, his role was more of a mentor to the new ADAs, though he also was responsible for making decisions about how to try cases and which cases should be pled out.
McCoy will be sorely missed, especially after all the years Waterston spent on Law & Order.
McCoy left in the middle of 2023 after the mayor’s office pressured him to drop a case against a wealthy killer. He prosecuted the case himself, marking his first appearance in the courtroom since the reboot began, and then resigned to protect EADA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) from the fallout. It was a fitting ending for McCoy, who was clearly more at home in the courtroom than behind a desk making decisions about which cases to try. Still, he will be sorely missed, especially after all the years Waterston spent on Law & Order.
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Camryn Manheim as Kate Dixon
Law & Order
Camryn Manheim’s Kate Dixon has been the head of the Homicide Unit for three years, having joined Law & Order at the beginning of the soft reboot. Amazingly, she was only the third person to take on this role since the series began in 1999, though she will not be returning in 2024 and will be replaced by Maura Tierney, who will be playing Lieutenant Jessica Brady. Manheim’s announcement that she would not be part of the Law & Order season 24 cast came as a surprise shortly before the season 23 finale.
No on-screen explanation was given for Dixon’s departure at the end of Law & Order season 23, so it will likely be explained in dialogue when introducing the new head of the unit. However, shortly before her departure, Dixon had a falling out with her son, who was a Deaf teacher and was angry that she arrested the father of one of his students, forcing the child into foster care. Thus, it is possible that Dixon will have been said to have left to try to repair things with her son.
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Jordana Spiro as FBI Special Agent Shannah Sykes
Law & Order: SVU
Jordana Spiro’s Special Agent Sykes was always meant to be a temporary addition to Law & Order: SVU. Sykes was an FBI agent who was carrying the burden of her sister’s unsolved disappearance when they were teenagers. Benson met her while chasing a lead in the disappearance of teenager Maddie Flynn and recognized a kindred spirit, as Benson was similarly obsessed with Maddie’s case. Soon afterward, Sykes asked to be loaned out to the Special Victims Unit so she could assist with other missing persons’ cases.
Although Sykes had asked to become part of the unit, it was always clear that she was on loan from the FBI. Furthermore, there is no real reason for her to remain on Benson’s team now that Benson has confirmed that Skyes’ sister was murdered and identified and arrested the killer. When this happened, Sykes was angry that Benson had reopened her sister’s case and stormed out of the squad room, later rebuffing Benson’s attempts to smooth things over. Thus, her story is over, making it unsurprising that she’s not returning in season 26.
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Keith Carradine as Judge Clay Bonner
Law & Order: Organized Crime
Judge Clay Bonner was a powerful figure in the small town of Westbrook who met his match in Elliot Stabler. Stabler first encountered him and his initially complicit daughter, Meredith, while investigating the murder of a waitress who Stabler had previously saved from a trafficking operation. It soon became clear that the entire town was terrified of Bonner and that he was not only corrupt but a killer, using his power to silence anyone who dared speak against him.
Bonner’s story went on for several episodes, with dead bodies piling up and more and more evidence coming out about the depth of his corruption. Eventually, Stabler was able to prove that Bonner killed his wife as well as get evidence that many convictions Bonner presided over would not have held up if the case had gone before a jury. Bonner attempted to end his life, but ultimately surrendered and was arrested. Stabler solved this case with the help of Bonner’s daughter, who turned against him when confronted with the evidence of his crimes.
Although Bonner was one of the creepiest villains in Law & Order: Organized Crime’s short history, his story came to an end with this dramatic showdown and he was carted off to jail. The end of his story made room for a new case involving Stabler’s younger brother, Joe Jr, which will continue in the new season. Thus, there is no reason for Bonner to return for season 5 and he is not expected to make any more appearances.
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Jennifer Ehle as Chief Meredith Bonner
Law & Order: Organized Crime
Like her father, Meredith Bonner is a guest character whose storyline wrapped up toward the end of Law & Order: Organized Crime season 4. She was an interesting character who had been groomed to be a corrupt chief of police, but reluctantly formed an alliance with Stabler after learning of her father’s crimes, especially after she was forced to fatally shoot her brother to save Stabler’s life. Once she switched alliances, she was pressured to continue using her position to protect her father rather than to arrest criminals and solve cases.
Meredith Bonner’s life was completely shattered by the end of her run, with her brother dead at her hands after learning he was a murderer who had killed a girl he was obsessed with and her father in prison. However, her story is over so there is no reason for her to return for Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, especially given that there are only 10 episodes.
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Will Janowitz as Eric Bonner
Law & Order: Organized Crime
Eric Bonner was a deeply troubled man responsible for the disappearance and murder of Jessica, a Westbrook woman he was obsessed with, along with several other women. His father, corrupt and powerful, shielded him from the consequences of these crimes, using Eric to do his dirty work in exchange for continued protection. This toxic relationship only fueled Eric’s instability.
In a desperate attempt to keep his dark past hidden, Eric kidnapped Detective Stabler to prevent him from uncovering the truth about Jessica’s death. However, this would ultimately lead to his downfall. After Jet spotted Eric on CCTV attempting to abduct another woman, Stabler confronted him but was abducted in the process. What followed was one of the most intense confrontations in *Law & Order: Organized Crime* history. Eric tied Stabler to a cross in a church and tormented him before his sister discovered them. In a tragic twist, Eric charged at his sister, forcing her to fatally shoot him, leaving her to carry the burden of guilt for the rest of her life.
