Cusm

After watching a majority of the TNT marathon yesterday I started to think of all the reasons, both real and on the show, the different cast members left. I started a list and need some help. Here is what I recall, please help fill in the blanks, and any corrections. Thanks.





Sgt. Max Greevey – (George Dzundza) Season 1
Show Reason: Got shot and killed while investigating corruption.
Real Reason: ???

Sgt. Phil Cerreta – (Paul Servino) Seasons 2-3
Show Reason: Got shot while buying illegal weapons, subsequently retired as a result.
Real Reason: Wanted to peruse his Opera career.

Det. Mike Logan – (Chris Noth) Seasons 1-5
Show Reason: Punched a City Councilman on the steps of the court in front of several cameras. Sent to Stanton Island.
Real Reason: Dick Wolf wanted more diversity in the cast

Det. Reynaldo Curtis – (Benjamin Bratt) Seasons 6-9
Show Reason: To take a desk job with 9-5 hours so he could take care of his wife that was sufferign from MS.
Real Reason: Spend more time with girlfriend Julia Roberts.

Det. Lennie Briscoe – (Jerry Orbach) Seasons 3-13
Show Reason: Had enough fo the job, retired.
Real Reason: Jerry Orbach wanted to cut back on work schedule (so he is moving over to L&O: Trial by Jury


Capt. Donald Cragen – (Dann Florek) Seasons 1-3
Show Reason: ???
Real Reason: Dick Wolf wanted more diversity in the cast.


ADA Paul Robinette – (Richard Brooks) Seasons 1-3
Show Reason: ???
Real Reason: ???

Executive ADA Benjamin Stone – (Michael Moriarty) Seasons 1-4
Show Reason: leaves the DA's office after a witness he heavily leaned on to testify gets murdered.
Real Reason: ???

ADA Claire Kincaid – (Jill Hennessy) Seasons 4-6
Show Reason: Killed in a auto accident while driving a drunken Briscoe home, after the 2 witness an execution they arrestted/prosecuted.
Real Reason: Jill Hennessey wanted to pursue other acting opps

ADA Jamie Ross – (Carey Lowell) Seasons 7-8
Show Reason: Take another job to allow more time to spend with her daughter to avoid her ex-husband fight over custody.
Real Reason: ???

ADA Abbie Carmichael – (Angie Harmon) Seasons 9-11
Show Reason: she gets a job in the US Attorney's office.
Real Reason: Spend more time with new husband former- NY Giant cornerback .Jason Sehorn.


DA Adam Schiff – (Steven Hill) Seasons 1-10
Show Reason: Never show his 'exit.' Subsequently, Jack mentions that he is working on some Holocaust commission in Europe.
Real Reason: the limited shooting schedule was too much for Steven Hill.

DA Nora Lewin – (Dianne Wiest) Seasons 11-12
Show Reason: Was not re-elected.
Real Reason: I simply believe that Dick Wolf fired her because nobody cared for her or the character.



Thanks for the info Reddog, I knew you would have most of these.

Red Dog

Logan - Dick Wolf wanted more diversity in the cast.

Briscoe - Jerry Orbach wanted to cut back on work schedule (so he is moving over to L&O: Trial by Jury

Cragan - see Logan. Don't remember how he was written out.

Robinnette - no idea, except I believe Dick Wolf wanted more estrogen in the cast.

Stone - this is the most notorious. Moriarty has blasted Dick Wolf in the past. I remember Moriarty being really pissed off about the episode Mayhem because he had only a couple lines in it. Stone leaves the DA's office after a witness he heavily leaned on to testify gets murdered.

Kincaid - Jill Hennessey wanted to pursue other acting opps. Oh and she was driving Briscoe home (who fell off the wagon), not Jack.

Ross - Wanted to spend more time with her family (husband Richard Gere). Note that it sounds like she will be returning to the world of L&O in the new Trial by Jury.

Abbey - show reason: she gets a job in the US Attorney's office.

Schiff - You have the real reason wrong. His wife passing away wasn't why he left. In fact, they never show his 'exit.' Subsequently, Jack mentions that he is working on some Holocaust commission in Europe. Real reason - even the limited shooting schedule was too much for Steven Hill.

Lewin - I simply believe that Dick Wolf fired her because nobody cared for her or the character.

Cusm

Did Moriarty not blast Janet Reno when she toured the set? I vaugely remember something about this.

Red Dog

He certainly had issues with her and her views on censorship (specifically vs television violence).

Red Dog

Check out this sight:

http://members.aol.com/dwalheim/lawa...faq.html#3.4.5

Unfortunately, it only addresses character exits up through the Hennessey/Lowell move.

mikehunt

Capt. Donald Cragen – (Dann Florek) Seasons 1-3
Show Reason: ???
Real Reason: Dick Wolf wanted more diversity in the cast.

came back to SVU so what ever his show reason was it obviously didn't affect his career. maybe that was teh show universe reason, even if it wasn't mentioned at the time

Red Dog

No matter how years Dann Florek plays Capt. Cragen, I will always think of him as Dave Meyer on L.A. Law.

Cartload

NBC threatened to cancel L&O if females were not added to the cast. I guess Dick Wolf decided he wanted a female character in both the Law and Order segments, so Dann Florek and Richard Brooks were given pink slips. S. Epatha Merkerson and Jill Hennessey came in to replace them.

I think Cragen's character ended up transferring to some anti-corruption task force before he ended up with SVU. He returned for one episode in the 5th season and the "Exiled" movie. Robinette showed up in Season 6 as a defense attorney pitted against McCoy.

devilshalo

For continuity sake, there was an SVU episode where Benson goes to her locker and I swear I saw a locker that said Briscoe. Are they in the same station? I guess I'm thrown off because of Munch.

Red Dog

I don't think so. Maybe they use the same sets for shots like that.

Cartload

Chris Orbach, Jerry's son, played Detective Ken Briscoe during the first season of SVU. I think his character was Lennie's nephew, so the name on the locker probably referred to him.