Law & Order is losing another veteran actor.
The NBC drama will bid farewell to star Camryn Manheim on May 16, the season 23 finale. The actress was a key part of the cast when Dick Wolf revived the flagship procedural for its 21st season.
Manheim becomes the second star to depart L&O this season with her upcoming exit coming on the heels of original star Sam Waterston, who exited in February as D.A. Jack McCoy. He had appeared in more than 400 episodes of the flagship series and returned to lead the revival that remains a high priority for both Wolf and NBC.
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To fill the void created by Waterston’s exit, L&O recruited former Scandal favorite Tony Goldwyn to be the show’s new D.A. and join a cast that also includes Hugh Dancy, Reid Scott, Mechad Brooks and Odelya Halevi.
“I thank Camryn for her three wonderful seasons helping us relaunch Law & Order. She is a class act and I wish her nothing but the best for her next chapter,” Wolf said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Manheim’s departure arrives as broadcast shows are under increasing pressure to lower budgets during an industry-wide era of contraction and amid declining linear viewership on broadcast. Other shows, like CBS’ Bob Hearts Abishola, reduced series regulars to recurring status, and some, like Blue Bloods, agreed to take pay cuts in order to keep the show on the air.
Rick Eid serves as showrunner on the flagship L&O, which will join spinoff SVU and Wolf’s three-show Chicago franchise on NBC’s roster for the 2024-25 season. Spinoff Organized Crime will move to Peacock for its next season.
