CSI's
Gary Dourdan isn't the only actor departing from his regular television gig.
Diane Neal, popularly known as Casey Novak on
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, has also decided to part ways by the season's end of the police procedural drama.
"Diane spent five years on
SVU and was a tremendous addition to the
SVU team. She is looking forward to new opportunities and she will be missed," a spokesperson for
Law & Order: SVU confirmed.
Your Take
devotedfan222 said:
I'm so sad to see that yet another SVUer will be leaving us. Hope she will cameo every now and the like Ju...
tomDwyer3 said:
Diane,
We've been friends for a very long time and although i am so sad to see you leaving one of my favori...
AndyOh2 said:
Oh, sorry to hear that Diane Neal leaves SVU team.
Many fans seem to expect Stephanie March's comeback to ...
Neal first appeared in the third season of
Law & Order: SVU in the episode “Ridicule” as high-powered rapist Amelia Chase before joining the main ensemble as their Assistant District Attorney (ADA), consequently replacing Stephanie March.
Neal makes her final appearance in next month's season finale of
Law & Order: SVU but unlike other previously departed cast members, reprising her character doesn't seem to be an option as the search for a new ADA is already under way.
Word on the street is that show creator Dick Wolf is looking to fill the void with a new comer.
Prior to
Law & Order: SVU, Neal made guest appearances on TV series such as
Ed,
The American Embassy, and
Hack. This was followed by a string of movie projects, which included
Second Born,
Future Tense,
Dracula II: Ascension and
Dracula III: Legacy.
As of the moment, there is no word yet on Neal's next endeavor.
Meanwhile, fans can catch Neal in her final days on
Law & Order: SVU every Tuesday 10/9c on NBC. The series also stars
Adam Beach as Chester Lake,
B.D. Wong as George Huang,
Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler,
Dann Florek as Donald Cragen,
Ice-T as Odafin "Fin" Tutuola,
Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson,
Richard Belzer as John Munch, and
Tamara Tunie as Melinda Warner, just to name a few.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: NBC, TV Guide
(Image courtesy of NBC)