Warning: spoilers ahead for the Season 24 finale of Law & Order: SVU and Season 3 finale of Law & Order: Organized Crime.
The crossover event between Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime ended with more than one game-changer, ranging from the tragic death of Jamie Whelan to Benson and Stabler taking one step closer to potentially finding their moment. The crossover (available streaming via Peacock Premium subscription) also saw Gracy Muncy decide to take a promotion to a job on a DEA task force with a lot of perks, and it’s apparently not something that’s going to resolve off-screen over summer hiatus, as Molly Burnett is reportedly leaving SVU. And I think that’s a mistake for one big reason.
First things first, though! Molly Burnett will no longer be a series regular when SVU returns for Season 25, according to TVLine, after one season as part of Benson’s squad. It’s not a surprising reveal after she said her goodbyes to Special Victims in the Season 3 finale of Organized Crime that wrapped up the crossover, but makes it official that SVU does not intend to keep all three of the newbies from Season 24. There has been no word on if the show will keep Kevin Kane as Bruno or Jasmine Batchelor as Churlish.
While I will be the first to admit that I wasn’t fully Team Muncy for much of Season 24 and Bruno is still my favorite of the newcomers even after she busted Elias Olsen, I can’t see SVU saying goodbye to Muncy as anything less than a mistake. Of course, there are no details at the time of writing as to whether the show decided to write the character out for budgetary reasons or Molly Burnett decided to leave, but her departure raises an issue for next season: Olivia Benson is now the only woman who is officially part of Manhattan’s Special Victims Unit.
Questions About The Returns Of Law & Order, SVU, and Organized Crime
Yes, Churlish is still in the mix to possibly return, and no, Bruno has not been confirmed to return for Season 25, but I can’t ignore the fact that a show that has primarily dealt with victims who are women and children for more than 500 episodes only has one woman as a series regular. Mariska Hargitay presumably isn’t going anywhere until she decides that she’s done playing Benson, but the character also isn’t as hands-on with interacting with victims now that she’s the captain.
And don’t get me wrong – I can’t imagine an SVU without Fin, and his dynamic with Bruno was one of my favorite additions to Season 24. I’m all-in on more Bruno in Season 25… if the show adds another female character, brings back Kelli Giddish after Rollins showed some regret about leaving, or promotes Jasmine Batchelor to series regular to keep a female cop on Benson's squad. Even during the classic years of SVU when Benson was the only woman among Stabler, Fin, Munch, and Cragen, she was at least a detective with boots on the ground.
Plus – and nothing against Carisi, who I also love – the ADAs were also primarily women, and Rollins was on board with Benson during the tenures of Barba and Stone. There were even a couple of seasons when Kat was on board with Benson and Rollins. Muncy’s departure coming half a season after Kelli Giddish left also meant a very quick turnover for the character.
As somebody who first discovered this show as a teenage girl with USA reruns and is still watching it as an adult woman, I believe that the victims of Law & Order: SVU need more female detectives as their advocates and investigators for what the opening narration describes as "vicious felonies" and "especially heinous" crimes. There’s still a whole summer (and possibly longer depending on the WGA writers strike) for SVU to cast another actress, promote Jasmine Batchelor, and/or bring back Rollins, and I’m hoping for that news to come. I’d love for the show to do it without also having to say goodbye to Bruno!
It is worth noting that the extended version of Muncy’s goodbye, courtesy of Wolf Entertainment on Twitter, suggests that she could turn up again if Velasco needs somebody to have his back. Take a look:
Want more #SVU? Check out this bonus scene from last night's #SVUxOC crossover season finale pic.twitter.com/GobP4x72I7May 19, 2023
For now, we can only wait for potential casting news as summer hiatus kicks off. Earlier episodes of SVU are available streaming via Peacock and/or Hulu subscription. SVU is scheduled to return in the fall along with the original Law & Order in the wake of Sam Waterston’s 400th episode as the Season 22 finale, but Organized Crime Season 3 will be held until midseason.
