Law and Order: SVU kept the surprises coming in the season 27 premiere with an original cast member being killed off screen.
During the Thursday, September 25, episode of the hit NBC series, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) revealed that fan-favorite character Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) died before the events of the premiere.
“He was the best boss I ever had,” Olivia said. “Everything I know about being a captain, I learned from him.”
At the memorial, Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) admitted that he’s considered retiring. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), meanwhile, made an appearance but wouldn’t enter the memorial, so Olivia had to go outside to meet him.
“I feel like we’re entering the ‘all our friends are dying’ era,” she told her former partner, who added, “We had a pretty good run there.” Olivia reassured Elliot that they “still do,” saying, “It’s just different.”
The death of Florek’s character came as a surprise to viewers after Octavio Pisano and Juliana Aidén Martinez‘s exits from the show. News broke in May that Martinez, 35, and Pisano, 39, were out as series regulars for season 27.
Pisano joined Law & Order: SVU in season 23 as Detective Joe Velasco, while Martinez came on board during season 26 as Junior Detective Kate Silva. The show was originally renewed for season 27 with plans for Pisano to return in the season premiere to address Joe’s departure. Martinez, however, wouldn’t return to wrap up her SVU story line.
Pisano and Martinez’s departures aside, Law and Order: SVU brought back Kelli Giddish‘s Amanda Rollins for season 27. Giddish, 45, left SVU in the middle of season 24 in 2022 after more than a decade on the show. She was a guest star in various episodes throughout seasons 25 and 26 before being confirmed as a series regular again.
Aimé Donna Kelly, who was also promoted to series regular as Captain Renee Curry, exclusively spoke to Us Weekly before the premiere about what season 27 has in store.
“It’s so emotional on so many levels. I’m very lucky that I started the show as a guest star. So I know the squad, I know these people, I know the crew, I know the set,” Kelly shared. “It feels very much like home, but to get that bump, I don’t even know how to describe it. It feels like you’ve been accepted by this family that you’ve wanted to be a part of for so long.”
She added: “It just feels like [with Kelli] another family member has come back home after going to college. It feels like, ‘Yes, this is what it should be.’ We each have our pocket and our lane, and I think we offer different things and different moods [in] the squad. To see three women tackle these huge challenges in cases [is] really heartfelt and emotional, it’s beautiful to see and to be a part of. It’s awesome.”
Law & Order: SVU airs new episodes on NBC Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
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