14 DAY TRIAL // Bad news for fans of the time-enduring “Law & Order” franchise, as Dann Florek, who plays Cpt. Cragen on the “SVU” series, will be bowing out this year after no less than 15 seasons. TV Guide confirms the news.
Fans of the “Law & Order” franchise know that Florek didn’t just play Cragen on “SVU,” because he also made appearances on the original series (for 3 whole seasons) and then in the TV movie “Exiled” (1998), which focused on the character played by Chris Noth in “Law & Order.”
“Friday was the last day 4 Cragen/Florek. It was a sweet send off! But he'll live on in syndication land 4 evah,” Florek said on his Twitter the other day.
As sad as this news is, fans must have known it was coming, since showrunner Warren Leight talked about Cragen’s retirement back in October.
“Cragen knows at some point in the season or by the end of the season he will have hit mandatory retirement so he'll have to figure out when that moment is. We're playing that anxiety that the Captain is leaving at some point,” he said, as cited by the aforementioned publication.
Also in October, it was announced that Richard Belzer would also be leaving “Law & Order: SVU.”