Jeffrey Donovan Not Returning To ‘Law & Order’

Jeffrey Donovan is not returning for season 23 of Law & Order, Deadline has confirmed.

The former Burn Notice star was tapped in 2021 to lead the NBC revival. He played Donovan’s Det. Frank Cosgrove in Dick Wolf’s venerable crime drama during seasons 21 and 22.

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He left for creative reasons, according to TVLine, which first reported the news.

Donovan is the latest star to turn in his badge on L&O. In 2022, Anthony Anderson, who reprised his role as Det. Kevin Bernard from the series’ original run, left after Season 21. He was replaced by Mehcad Brooks, who joined the cast in Season 22 as Frank’s new partner Jalen Shaw.

The cast includes Sam Waterston as DA Jack McCoy, Hugh Dancy (Hannibal, The Path) as senior prosecutorial assistant Nathan Price, and Camryn Manheim (The Practice) as Lt. Kate Dixon.

Law & Order, which is expected to return for an abbreviated season in 2024, is produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

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