‘Law and Order’ Announces Shocking Exit of Main Cast Member Ahead of Season 25

Law & Order is losing a main character ahead of season 25.

Multiple outlets confirmed on Friday, July 18, that Mehcad Brooks is not returning as Detective Jalen Shaw after joining the show in season 22. Shaw will be written off likely in a conversation between his now former partner, Vincent Riley (Reid Scott), and new detective or Lieutenant Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney).

The rest of the cast — Tierney, 60, Scott, 47, Hugh Dancy, Odelya Halevi and Tony Goldwyn — have all signed on for season 25. Goldwin, 65, and Scott’s contracts previously had taken them through season 24.

While the season 24 finale didn’t hint that Shaw was leaving, this isn’t the first time a character had departed off screen. Anthony Anderson, who reprised his role as Detective Kevin Bernard in 2022 after a 10-year break, left after one season without an onscreen explanation. The same went for Jeffrey Donovan’s Frank Cosgrove, whose absence wasn’t addressed until the season 23 premiere.

Viewers knew Camryn Manheim‘s final episode as Lieutenant Kate Dixon would be the season 23 finale but it wasn’t until a year later that it was explained on the show.

Law & Order as a franchise has been undergoing various shake-ups. News broke in May that Octavio Pisano and Juliana Martinez are leaving Law & Order: SVU at the end of season 26. Pisano, 39, originally joined Law & Order: SVU in season 23 while Martinez came on board during season 26. The show has since been officially renewed for season 27 with Michele Fazekas was announced as the series’ first female showrunner.

While it remains unclear how Velasco and Silva will exit, Kelli Giddish‘s Rollins is officially returning in season 27. Giddish, 45, originally departed Law & Order: 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 for the upcoming season.

Then, there is Law & Order: Organized Crime on Peacock, which has swapped showrunners from season to season. The police procedural, which premiered in 2021 on NBC, stars Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, reprising his role from SVU.

When Stabler got his own show, Matt Olmstead took on the role of showrunner but ultimately stepped down later that year. He was replaced by Ilene Chaiken, who remained on the show for one season before Barry O’Brien took over. Bryan Goluboff became the showrunner for season 3 but left after three months. He was replaced by Sean Jablonski, who left due to “creative differences” and David Graziano took over for the final episodes of the season.

After Law & Order: Organized Crime was renewed for a fourth season, John Shiban was brought on as the newest showrunner but he didn’t stick around and by season 5, Olmstead was brought back to finish up the scripts as an executive producer.

Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU are returning to NBC in the fall.