Jeffrey Donovan Reportedly Fired From 'Law & Order'

Law & Order fans, brace yourselves. According to TVLine, Jeffrey Donovan will not be returning for Season 23. The outlet reports that the actor, who played fan-favorite Detective Cosgrove in Seasons 21 and 22, was let go "for creative reasons." NBC is now looking to cast a new series regular, although the network declined to comment on the report.

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Season 22 of the show wrapped in May, with a timely episode centered around gun control. After a U.S. senator was shot and killed at his daughter's wedding, Cosgrove and Detective Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) worked to track down the shooter. When they apprehended their suspect, a man named Derek, they learned that he'd been suffering from PTSD after having disarmed a shooter during a previous (and deadly) school shooting.

Although there was controversy around the ethics of prosecuting the case, District Attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterson) insisted on proceeding and Derek was convicted. The mood afterward was hardly celebratory, given the nature of the case.

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It's unclear at this point how Donovan's character will be written out of the show or whether it will tie back to that finale. Season 23 is set to return with a truncated 13-episode season sometime in the first quarter of 2024.

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