TVLine.com is reporting that Chris Meloni will not be returning to Law & Order SVU for season 13. Read their story here:
TVLine.com Exclusive: Chris Meloni Exits Law & Order: SVU
Let the speculation and suggestions on replacements begin! By the way, this new news puts a whole new light on that old interview Chris Meloni gave to an Australian news outlet in early 2010 when he said he was done after season 12 (and he later clarified the statement). In case you don’t recall it, here’s the link: Chris Meloni Announces Intention to Leave Law & Order SVU? Maybe Not
Update May 27, 2011 from TVLine:
Mariska Hargitay On Chris Meloni's LAW & ORDER: SVU Exit: "I Love Him Deeply and Will Miss Him Terribly
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25 comments:
This is such a scary thought. In a matter of a year or two, the franchise could be dead. :\ I also find it interesting how NBC was willing to pay almost two million dollars for Steve Carrel to stay on The Office, a half hour show whereas they won't give Meloni a well deserved pay raise for the past twelve years he's worked on the show. Doing an hour long show requires a lot more work than a sitcom. :\ *sigh*
I bet they show Eliot being suspended after killing the girl in "Smoked". Only way-out I can think of for his character. :(
can't believe he won't be back :( if they bring back Casey or maybe Kathleen who has gone down a law route then maybe it would be bearable. it still won't be as good without both of the main detectives. we shall see how it goes next season.
Does anyone know how many episodes are left this season? I really hope they tie up Benson and Stabler's storyline. I'm going to miss those two.
Sorry, just realized that Smoked was the season finale. What a terrible season finale. I hope they bring Chris back for a few tie-up episodes. I guess at this point that's all we can hope for.
:O Gasp! Scandal!
My, the franchise has really been going downhill lately.
I wonder if it was something to do with Warren Leight being installed as the new showrunner, but I'm with Esaul largely on this one. *sigh*
To be honest, I will miss seeing Chris but I never liked his character, Elliot. I think the show can survive with new detectives and Olivia as the Captain.
Mariska Hargitay - Captain
Michael Chiklis - Detective
Taraji Henson - Detective
Ice-T -Detective
Diane Neal- ADA
Oh, and of course MUNCH...
I don't want to see Dan Florek leave the show. I'd rather Olivia get promoted to something OTHER than that.
If money was the issue, and in contract talks it usually is, then I don't think a new "big name" is likely to come cheap either.
I'll wait to see how it plays out, but I don't think it's looking good for the franchise.
On a somewhat unrelated note, Meloni at least seems to know when to hang it up and not come back. Unlike an infamous big jaw on the peacock. Unless of course NBC comes running back to him.
On the subject of replacement. Does anybody think Chris Noth would be a good fit for SVU if he took the job for a reasonable salary?
Never mind I forgot Noth was still with CBS, blast.
With Leight coming on board, they can actually take this time to technically reboot the franchise. Let's face it, a retooling has been a long time coming. With shows like "The Wire" and "The Killing" setting the bar, the opportunity to really do something interesting here is rather exciting. An infusion of new blood can really revive this franchise. God I hope that the rumor of Jennifer Love Hewitt are not true. This type of show needs someone with acting chops. As serviceable as JLH is, I don't think this is what the show needs.
That's too bad, though I'm not surprised he wanted to leave.
I don't think it will survive long without the original team, no matter how good the writing is.
Bringing J.Love on board is just odd. They're going to have to really bring in a strong actor or actress to replace him if that happens. These are some big shoes for them to fill.
You see, that's the problem. The original was able to last twenty years because of the revolving cast of characters. You don't see any of the original characters still there (excluding Dan of course). If a character didn't work, or if an actor wanted to leave then they could just write him or her out, and introduce a new character. I mean that's how we got Lenny. And that's how we got Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson, the best team since Lenny was on the show. We would not have had them if it weren't for the revolving cast.
The franchise was established with the concept of the story being far more important than the characters. However, Criminal Intent disproved that when VDO and Erbe left. Viewership dropped without them, and when they came back it went back up. So clearly that show is also about the characters as it is the storyline.
Same thing COULD happen to SVU just because we're so accustomed to seeing Benson and Stabler. In theory, that shouldn't happen though. We should be able to grasp the idea of new characters coming in, and old characters leaving, just like the original. But we've been with these two for so long. I'm personally glad that Chris took a stand against NBC. He deserved the pay raise. NBC will be their own demise. SVU is the best rated scripted drama, and that won't happen without Chris on the show, no matter who they find to replace him. Realistically I hope they find a L&O veteran. I don't care about a big name. I'd love to see Jeremy, Anthony, Jesse, or Benjamin. I want the show to survive without Chris, but I just don't see that happening. Without the franchise, NBC is as good as dead.
Disappointed that Chris won't be back, but would rather Dick Wolf and new showrunner Warren Leight not spend big money on a new male lead. Would prefer they bring back Stephanie March as Alex Cabot or Diane Neal as Casey Novak and give Munch and Fin a greater presence. They could still bring in a new male detective as well, but would rather have a lesser known actor than spending money on a big name actor that instead could be used on bringing back March or Neal.
And as far as Mariska's reduced role after 13 episodes when Benson is promoted to supervisor I think a new female detective could be worked in in a secondary role. Just can't imagine Jennifer Love Hewitt in the role at all.
Even with all the changes---Neal Baer gone, Leight in, Meloni (Stabler) gone, Hargitay (Benson) reduced role I will be watching Season 13---at least long enough to give it a fair shake. Too many great characters and episodes to abandon without seeing how the changes affect the show.
Why??... Chris Meloni not leave us! and there will be no "SVU!! ... first Mariska Hargitay... now Chris Meloni... why? :(
I added this information to my post:
By the way, this new news puts a whole new light on that old interview Chris Meloni gave to an Australian news outlet in early 2010 when he said he was done after season 12 (and he later clarified the statement). In case you don’t recall it, here’s the link:
http://allthingslawandorder.blogspot.com/2010/02/chris-meloni-announces-intention-to.html
@ Esaul: Yes the revolving door on the mothership kept it going. But the iconic characters of Lennie Briscoe & Jack McCoy for the most part remained a constant. And helped viewers cope with the revolving door of cast changes.
But then Jerry left the show for Trial By Jury, and we were introduced to Alana de la Garza, Linus Roache, Jeremy Sisto, and Anthony Anderson who took over the show for the most part you could say. Jack got a promotion and he wasn't seeing a lotta court room action as much as he used to, so I think it's safe to say that was no longer a reason for people to tune in. The show was picking up with those four, despite Connie and Jeremy being in for a bit before that.
From @Michael Ausiello: @Mariska On Chris Meloni's LAW & ORDER: SVU Exit: "I Love Him Deeply and Will Miss Him Terribly": http://bit.ly/krduCP
I can't believe NBC would be so shallow to say they want a "big name" to replace Meloni. That show needs good actors/actresses that we haven't heard of yet, and can get into character easily.
I'm not surprised (remember last years article) - 12 years is soooooooooo long, I can see he wants to shed off a character who has become his alter ego. He loves Elliot, but once in a while, he has to do something else. I get that.
I cannot answer the question whether SVU should go on or not... except for the ADA, SVU has had pretty steady cast, and of course we've started to care more about the characters than the stories. Can SVU survive without Stabler? Will remain to be seen...
Moneywise, I think Meloni is paid quite well at $400,000 an ep, but I don't think money is the only issue.
I think they should get Corey Stoll to replace him. Since they killed off Law & Order LA w/o giving it a fair shot. Truthfully, that would probably be the only way i'd continue watching SVU b/c i think they're ruining it by getting rid of Chris and Mariska.
I have a couple of ideas:
1) Corey Stoll;
2) Dean Winters;
3) Lee Pace.
Thoughts?
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