Some of television's longest-running and most consistent hits are part of the nine-show shared universe made up of the three Law & Order series, the three One Chicago shows, and the three FBIs. Some have featured the same stars from the very beginning, while others have very different casts now from how they started. Change has been afoot in the 2022-2023 TV season, with nearly every show in the Wolf Entertainment universe losing at least one star.
So, as 2022 winds down and two more stars are on the verge of exiting, let's look at all the major star departures from the nine-show Wolf Entertainment universe, starting with the FBIs and some actors who simply didn't return this season!
Christiane Paul - FBI: International
Christiane Paul was an original cast member of FBI: International as Europol agent Katrin Jaeger, but ultimately only stayed for one season. The show took the time to set up her departure in the back half of Season 1, with Jaeger going from nearly losing her job to receiving a well-earned promotion and a sendoff from the team in the finale. The Season 2 premiere revealed that she is in charge of Western Europe in her new off-screen Europol role, and has been replaced on the Fly Team by Megan "Smitty" Garretson (played by Gangs of London alum Eva-Jane Willis). Paul's exit was set up in May and then confirmed in July, so she technically just never came back for the 2022-2023 season.
Miguel Gomez - FBI: Most Wanted
Miguel Gomez joined the cast of FBI: Most Wanted in Season 2 and was on board as a series regular through the end of Season 3 as Agent Ivan Ortiz, although he was notably absent from the third season finale with the explanation that he was in Los Angeles with his sick father. News that Gomez wouldn't be back broke in June, to the shock of fans after Most Wanted didn't really set up an exit storyline for him. The show recruited a former star from another Wolf Entertainment show as Ortiz's replacement, casting former Chicago Fire actor Edwin Hodge as Agent Ray Cannon. Like Christiane Paul's, Gomez's Ortiz simply never came back for the 2022-2023 TV season.
Anthony Anderson - Law & Order
Anthony Anderson was arguably the face of the Law & Order revival alongside Sam Waterston, as one of the two stars returning from the original run of the series. There was no sign at the end of the Season 21 finale that Det. Kevin Bernard was going anywhere, but news broke just days after hiatus began that Anderson wouldn't be back for Season 22. He explained that he wanted to create more shows like black-ish, and didn't rule out returning some day. The show cast Supergirl alum Mehcad Brooks to fill the void as Det. Jalen Shaw and step up as Cosgrove's new partner.
Guy Lockard - Chicago Med
Guy Lockard joined the cast of Chicago Med in Season 7 to play Dr. Dylan Scott as one of two new series regulars, and Dylan was part of the fiery cliffhanger ahead of Season 8. While he survived the inferno, the woman he loved did not, and he didn't feel that he could stay at Med after losing her. Lockard's one and only appearance of Season 8 was the premiere, although co-showrunner Diane Frolov told TVLine that the door is "open for a return appearance."
Jesse Lee Soffer - Chicago P.D.
Arguably the biggest Wolf Entertainment departure of the 2022-2023 season was Jesse Lee Soffer as Det. Jay Halstead on Chicago P.D. Soffer was part of the shared universe going all the way back to the early days of Chicago Fire before P.D. even premiered, and Halstead was a central member of the Intelligence Unit (as well as half of the main couple of the series). His shocking exit was announced back in August and happened in the third episode of Season 10 with Halstead going back to the army. Soffer is returning to P.D. in 2023, but as a director rather than actor.
Asjha Cooper - Chicago Med
Chicago Med had a second surprise departure when Dr. Vanessa Taylor decided to join a mission trip to help people in need in the Philippines, to the dismay of bio mom Maggie. Her decision had been set up earlier in Season 8 when she broke the law to try and help a patient, and Deadline confirmed that actress Asjha Cooper had left the show after two seasons. While Vanessa still has ties to Chicago and needs to complete her residency at some point, there's no sign that she'll be back from the Philippines any time soon.
Brian Tee - Chicago Med
Brian Tee technically hasn't departed Chicago Med yet, but fans have known since October that his final episode as Dr. Ethan Choi would be the fall finale of Season 8, airing on December 7. He seems set for a happy ending, as the most recent episode revealed that he and April are getting married, and co-showrunner Andrew Schneider told People that the couple will start "a mobile clinic so that together they can take first-rate medical care to underserved neighborhoods." Tee will return to Med in 2023 to direct an episode, and with Ethan evidently staying in Chicago, perhaps fans will get an on-screen appearance as well!
Kelli Giddish - Law & Order: SVU
Kelli Giddish is the longest-running star departing the Wolf Entertainment universe in the 2022-2023 TV season, after debuting on Law & Order: SVU as Det. Amanda Rollins back in Season 13. Her departure was announced back in August to the shock and dismay of fans, and SVU has spent the first half of Season 24 setting up Rollins choosing to leave Special Victims alive, well, and possibly even married to Carisi. It's not clear how SVU will explain how Peter Scanavino is still around as Carisi while Rollins is nowhere to be found, but it seems safe to say that a tragedy won't force her out. Her exit will happen in the fall finale on December 8.
Honorable Mentions:
While Chicago P.D. lost an original star just three episodes into the season and SVU is losing somebody who has been around for more than a decade, some shows in the Wolf Entertainment have lost characters who are relatively minor in the grand scheme, but whose departures made some waves nonetheless. So, check out some honorable mentions:
- Jimmy Nicholas from Chicago Fire. Nicholas played Paramedic Chief Evan Hawkins, who became Violet's love interest before his death early in Season 11. While he didn't have much time on screen this season, his death has continued to affect Violet.
- Mike Cannon and Rachel Lin from Law & Order: Organized Crime. Cannon and Lin played Detective Maldonado and Detective Cho (respectively) in Season 2, but were written out ahead of Season 3. Their absences are significant for opening the door for new series regulars Brent Antonello as Det. Whelan and Rick Gonzalez as Det. Reyes.
- Sarah Rafferty from Chicago Med. Rafferty's Dr. Pamela Blake was key to Crockett beginning to specialize in transplant surgery, and her departure meant that he had to step up in the department and opened him up to form a bond with a very rich new friend.
Only time will tell if the Law & Order shows, One Chicago shows, and FBIs will be done with their goodbyes for the season after the final episodes for Brian Tee and Kelli Giddish in December. All nine are nearly finished for 2022, so be sure to check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule for when FBI, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: Organized Crime will return in the new year.
