Several characters are leaving shows across theLaw & Orderfranchise 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 originalLaw & Order.Many of thebest episodes ofLaw & Orderinclude iconic characters, some of whom will not be returning for the 2024-2025 season. There are also a couple of characters leavingLaw & Order: SVUandLaw & Order: Organized Crime.
Law & Orderseason 24 andLaw & Order: SVUseason 26 will premiere on NBC on June 29, 2025, starting at 8 PM EST. No premiere date has been announced yet forLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5, which will stream exclusively on Peacock.
Considering the franchise’s longevity, some cast changes are inevitable each season. The good news is thatbothLaw & OrderandLaw & Order: SVUare losing only a couple of cast members each, andLaw & Order: SVUseason 26 has established Benson’s team, which includes some new characters taking the departing characters' places. WhileLaw & Order: Organized Crimeis 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.
Law & Order’s Kate Dixon Replacement Pays Off A 23-Year-Old Cameo Role
Law & Order’s Kate Dixon will not be appearing in season 24, but her just-announced replacement will be an overdue cameo payoff for the franchise.
6Sam Waterston As Jack McCoy
Law & Order
Sam Waterston’s exit fromLaw & Orderafter 20 yearswas 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 onLaw & 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 onLaw & 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 onLaw & Order.
5Camryn Manheim as Kate Dixon
Camryn Manheim’s Kate Dixon has been the head of the Homicide Unit for three years, having joinedLaw & Orderat 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 theLaw & Orderseason 24 castcame as a surprise shortly before the season 23 finale.
Every Character Who Headed The Homicide Unit In Law & Order
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1993
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2021
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2024
TBD
No on-screen explanation was given for Dixon’s departure at the end ofLaw & Orderseason 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.
4Jordana Spiro as FBI Special Agent Shannah Sykes
Law & Order: SVU
Jordana Spiro’s Special Agent Sykes was always meant to be a temporary addition toLaw & 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.
Law & Order SVU — The Agent Sykes Character Explain (& Where You’ve Seen The Actor)
Agent Sykes is a character new to Law & Order: SVU in season 25 and she’s played by an actor who many will recognize from previous performances.
3Keith 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 wifeas 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 inLaw & 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.
2Jennifer Ehle as Chief Meredith Bonner
Like her father,Meredith Bonner is a guest character whose storyline wrapped up toward the end ofLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 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 forLaw & Order:Organized Crimeseason 5, especially given that there are only 10 episodes.
1Will Janowitz as Eric Bonner
Eric Bonner was a severely troubled man who had been responsible for the disappearance and murder of a Westbrook woman he was obsessed with, Jessica, as well as several other murders of women, but had been protected by his corrupt father after he committed the killings. This put him under his father’s thumb, as he had to do his dirty work in exchange for continued protection, which contributed to his instability. Eventually,he kidnapped Stabler to stop him from exposing the truth about Jessica’s death, but this turned out to be Eric’s downfall.
After Jet caught Eric on CCTV trying to abduct another girl, Stabler tried to stop him but ended up abducted himself. This led to one of the most dramatic confrontations thatLaw & Order: Organized Crimehad ever had, with Eric tying Stabler to a cross in the church and tormenting him before Eric’s sister found them. Eric forced his sister to fatally shoot him by charging at her, leaving her with guilt that she will carry for the rest of her life. His story thus ended with his death and he will not be returning for season 5.
Cast
Law & Order is a procedural crime drama series that premiered in 1990, featuring New York City police detectives and prosecutors as they investigate and prosecute serious crimes. The show is known for its two-part approach, dividing between the crime-solving efforts of the detectives and the legal proceedings in court.
Law & Order: Organized Crime follows the detectives of the Organized Crime Control Bureau as they strive to dismantle New York City’s most vicious and violent illegal enterprises, providing a deep dive into the complex and intricate world of organized crime. Released on July 02, 2025, it extends the Law & Order franchise.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a television series that premiered in 1999. Set in the criminal justice system of New York City, it follows an elite team of detectives who investigate sexually-based offenses, focusing on their efforts to solve complex cases and seek justice for victims.
