As fans continue to wait to learn the fate of Law & Order: SVU, it seems NBC is preparing to pave the way for a renewal, and that path, unfortunately, comes with some unexpected twists.
NBC’s longest-running drama will be bidding farewell to two series regulars. According to new reports from Deadline, Juliana Martinez and Octavio Pisano are both exiting the show and will not return as part of the season 27 cast should the show be renewed, which is all but expected to happen. Pisano joined the show’s ensemble in the season 21 premiere when he joined the cast as Detective Joe Velasco, while Martinez made her debut as Detective Kate Silva in the season 26 premiere.
Although the exact cause behind the decision was not revealed initially, it seems incredibly likely that the departures of Martinez and Pisano are connected to budget cuts. We’re seeing a growing trend in which budget restrictions placed upon broadcast hits have been factoring into some disappointing decisions, including the departures of series regulars and reduced episode counts.
Fellow Wolf Entertainment drama Chicago Fire saw something similar happen when it was revealed that Daniel Kyri and Jake Lockett would be exiting the show after the current season. The decision was said to be part of cost-cutting efforts as the network continued renewal discussions, and it was only a few weeks later that NBC announced the renewal of Chicago Fire.
Similar to Chicago Fire’s forthcoming exits, it remains unknown whether the writers had time to craft proper departure storylines or whether the season will wrap without a proper conclusion. Sadly, our fear is that Pisano and Martinez won’t get on-screen send-offs and could be written off in the season 27 premiere with a quick update about their whereabouts, such as them being transferred to another department.
While cast departures are nothing new in this current era of TV, it’s definitely becoming concerning how many exits we’re seeing to beloved shows with Law & Order: SVU joining a growing list of shows impacted by cast shakeups. Alas, this seems to be a necessary evil of the TV landscape, and it will be interesting to see what other cast shakeups could be in the pipeline.
What we do know is that Law & Order: SVU will be coming to an end with the SVU squad investigating a string of sexual assaults targeting local female psychiatrists. Interestingly, the finale will also bring about a promotion for someone on the squad which has us wondering if that will be coming the way of one of the cast members who will be sticking around, or if it could perhaps be a storyline that will help pave the way for the exit of Velasco or Silva.
We'll find out for certain in the Law & Order: SVU season 26 finale airing Thursday, May 15 at 9/8c on NBC.