“Law & Order” star Jeffrey Donovan will not be returning to the NBC procedural, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap.
Donovan, who starred as Det. Frank Cosgrove in the show, won’t be back for the 23rd installment of the drama. According to TVLine, who first reported the news, Donovan exited the show due to creative reasons.
Joining the Dick Wolf series in Season 21, the former “Burn Notice” star remained on the series through Season 22 before exiting ahead of Season 23. Donovan is the latest “Law & Order” actor to exit the series, after Anthony Anderson left the show after Season 21. Anderson was replaced with Mehcad Brooks, who played Jalen Shaw in Season 22.
Hailing from Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, “Law & Order” also features a main cast including Sam Waterston as DA Jack McCoy, Hugh Dancy as senior prosecutorial assistant Nathan Price and Camryn Manheim as Lt. Kate Dixon.
As Hollywood gets back up and running again after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Wolf Entertainment’s “Law & Order” and “Chicago” franchises are “well-oiled machines” that are among of the first shows expected to start back up again, according to a source close to the productions.
In addition to “Law & Order,” Donovan can be seen in “Surrounded,” “First Love,” “Breaking,” “National Champions,” “Wrath of Man” and “Honest Thief,” among others. Donovan also appeared as Det. Frank Cosgrove in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”
