Bonus scene of Det. Muncy's Law and Order: SVU goodbye

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Law and Order. 

Law and Order’s Captain Donald Cragen was in the first three seasons of the drama but why did actor Dann Florek leave? 

Both Florek and actor Richard Brooks, who was behind Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette, featured heavily in seasons one to three. 

However, when the NBC drama was picked up for its fourth series in 1993, neither of their characters were anywhere to be seen. 

Why did Dann Florek leave Law and Order as Captain Donald Cragen?

It has been reported that Florek, as well as Brooks, were let go by Law and Order to open up positions for two new female lead characters. 

These turned out to be Lieutenant Anita Van Buren, played by S Epatha Merkerson, and ADA Claire Kincaid, played by Jill Hennessey.

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Merkerson confirmed this to be the case during an interview with NPR. 

She said: “They were going to cancel ‘Law & Order,’ I think in its third season because NBC wanted women on the show.

“So Dick [Wolf] let two of the guys [Flekk and Brooks] go, and he brought on two women. 

“That’s how Jill Hennessey and I ended up on the show — because NBC was going to cancel it if he didn’t bring skirts in. It was really that simple.”

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This was far from the end of Flekk’s time in the world of Law and Order though as he went on to join the cast of the spin-off Law and Order: SVU. 

He remained for 15 seasons before making his exit in 2013 because his character had reached the mandatory NYPD retirement age. 

In the episode Amaro’s One-Eighty, Cragen announces his retirement to the rest of the team. 

He explains that he was going to be joining his girlfriend Eileen Switzer (Mel Harris) on a six-month cruise which would then take him to his retirement date. 

This wasn’t the last time that Florek starred as the Captain though, fans were delighted to see.

He made a brief return to the franchise in the latest spin-off Law and Order: Organized Crime last year. 

Florek was reunited with Christopher Meloni’s Elliot Stabler for season two’s Friend or Foe and Can’t Knock the Hustle. 

His latest work came out earlier this year on Disney+ in the sci-fi movie Crater. 

Law and Order is available to watch on NBC.

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