The Law & Order: SVU Exit *Everyone* Missed in the Finale
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Law & Order: SVU has experienced plenty of turnover in recent years, and the NBC procedural is about to lose another longtime veteran. Keep reading to see who is leaving Law & Order: SVU in 2024.
Who’s leaving Law & Order: SVU?
After over three decades of working on Wolf Entertainment shows, industry veteran Arthur Forney has decided to retire. According to his IMDB bio, Forney first began his career in post-production at Warner Bros. He later moved over to Universal, where he served as an editor on the original Magnum, P.I. series. Forney then joined Wolf Entertainment in 1987 and worked with Law & Order creator Dick Wolf as an editor on shows like Gideon Oliver, Christine Cromwell and Nasty Boys. For the past two decades, Forney has served as an executive producer on the Law & Order, One Chicago and FBI shows, as well as the head of all post-production activities.
On May 14, SVU‘s Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni reunited to celebrate Forney’s retirement at a rooftop bar in Los Angeles. Meloni, who played Elliot Stabler for seasons 1-11 and currently stars on the spin-off Organized Crime, shared several photos from the special occasion, including a shot of Forney and Wolf and one of him and Hargitay gazing fondly at each other. In the caption, Meloni revealed Forney’s nickname — the Butcher Of Burbank — and commended him for his work ethic.
“So…celebrated the retirement of THE editor of all things @wolfentertainment Arthur Forney. Affectionately known as the “Butcher Of Burbank”, I’ve rarely met someone so beloved and respected. Great event with great people, in a great organization. AND I finally got to meet the legendary Mike Post. #amazingnight Godspeed Arthur,” the SVU alum wrote. Hargitay shared the same photo of herself and Meloni, captioning it simply: “About last night…”
The SVU veteran has starred as the beloved Detective Olivia Benson since the show’s first season back 1999, and her character just became the longest-running character on a primetime drama with Season 25. Although Meloni left SVU in 2011, he and Margitay frequently make cameos on each other’s shows and will continue to do so despite Organized Crime‘s recent move to Peacock. “I think Organized Crime could move to Mars, we’d still be doing cameos in each other’s shows,” Hargitay told Soaps in a May 2024 interview. “And if they don’t write the cameos for us, we’ll just find out where the other person is shooting and stroll through the background of a scene. Wait wait wait, rewind that, was that Olivia getting off the bus?? Keep an eye out!”
Forney’s retirement is just the latest behind-the-scenes shakeup at Wolf Entertainment. In April 2024, longtime Chicago Med showrunners Diane Frolov and Andy Schneider announced their exit after nine seasons on the show. That same month, FBI showrunner Rick Eid, who had been at the helm of the CBS drama since it debuted in 2018, announced his departure. Eid is not leaving Wolf Entertainment entirely, though, and will instead focus his efforts on Law & Order, which he’s served as the showrunner of since 2022.
