Television September 26, 2025
‘Law & Order: SVU’ Says Goodbye to Major Character in Premiere Episode
NBC
“Law & Order: SVU” said goodbye to a longtime character on the Season 27 premiere!
On Thursday’s episode, the NYPD held a memorial service at a pub for retired Special Victims Unit Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek).
Among the mourners were Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Sergeant Finn (Ice-T), A.D.A Domonic Carisi (Peter Scanavino) and Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), and past characters like Dr. George Huang (BD Wong) and Detective Cassidy (Dean Winters).
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During the service, Benson shared, “He was the best boss that I ever had. Everything I know about being a captain, I learned from him.”
We also heard from Cragen via a video from his retirement party. “I lived for my job,” he said. “I don’t think that surprises anybody. And I can’t imagine my life any other way.”
Noticeably missing was her former partner Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), now the head of the Organized Crime Unit.
Benson ran into Stabler outside as she was leaving. They shared a moment just before he headed inside and she took off.
Fans last saw Cragen helping Stabler in a 2024 episode of the spin-off “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”
