Law & Order Star Not Returning for New Season

One Law & Order star won’t be returning for Season 23. According to Variety, Jeffrey Donovan will not be coming back as Detective Cosgrove when the series returns for the new season. Per the report, Donovan departed the series due to creative differences and producers are already looking for a new series regular. Donovan joined the Law & Order cast in 2021, starring as Cosgrove for Seasons 21 and 22. The character, a junior detective and partner for Anthony Anderson’s Detective Kevin Bernard, was described as a “tough-as-nails detective that seeks justice by whatever means necessary. Every legal drama needs a bad cop, and Donovan shines.”

At the end of Season 22, Detective Cosgrove was last seen working alongside his partner Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) as they worked to arrest a waiter who had assassinated a U.S. Senator. Brooks joined the cast for Season 22, replacing Anderson.

Brooks has previously spoken about joining the beloved, long-running franchise.

“The biggest creative challenge, I think, was knowing that there is a DNA to Law and Order, particularly the originals, it’s challenging to come in and say, ‘I don’t want to challenge the DNA of the show, but I do want to put my own spin on it, I do want to put my own spin on the character, I do want to update certain things about the show, and I want to come in and bring an edge, and a voice of diversity that I’m not sure it’s had in quite some time.’ There’s something about taking that leap of faith, and walking off that cliff of creativity, into that dark place, and not knowing if the ground is gonna be there,” Brooks said.

Donovan’s departure from the series leaves Same Waterson as District Attorney Jack McCoy, Camryn Manheim as Lieutenant Kate Dixon, Hugh Dancy as Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price, and Odelya Halevi as Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun. Donovan’s exit is also just the latest from Law & Order. Anderson left the series after his one-year deal with NBC ended — the actor had reprised his role for Season 21 of the series.

Work Has Resumed on Law & Order Franchise Series

Back in October following the end of the writers’ strike, work resumed on Wolf Entertainment’s — the company behind the Law & Order franchise — series. At that time, writers’ rooms got underway for eight of the company’s shows, including Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International.

At this point, it’s unclear when exactly Law & Order will return for Season 23. All three Law & Order series are set to have shortened, 13-episode seasons and had previously been expected to begin filming around the first week of December pending the outcome of the strikes. Cosgrove’s departure may or may not impact that timeline. For now, a new season of Law & Order is expected to arrive sometime in Spring 2024.