5 reasons why we’ll miss Peter Stone

3. He was always watchable

TV is fundamentally about being entertained, and Peter Stone never ceased to be worth watching. When he was the star of the show on Chicago Justice, he was the engine that drove everything in the State’s Attorney’s Office. Mark Jefferies may have been the boss, but Peter was the spark that lit a fire under everyone and everything else.

When Philip Winchester joined Law & Order: SVU, his role automatically became more supporting, as that series isn’t about lawyers and mostly takes place outside of the courtroom. But even then, he found ways to energize the show. Whether he pushed back against one of the cops or just lit up a defendant with one of his classic closing arguments, he always came with a punch that provided that extra something.

Even when the writing for Peter floundered—killing off his sister, getting a little out of character with the drunken escapades glimpsed in the season premiere, and making him fall a little more in line with everyone else—Philip Winchester always showed up to play. He never lost Peter’s heart and that warmth that was reminiscent of his father. He was as good at supporting others as he was when he was the center of a scene.

Whoever takes over as Assistant District Attorney in SVU season 21 will have a tough act to follow because of that. Winchester clearly poured everything he had into Peter, and that showed on the screen. He was able to make something when there was nothing, and when there was something he hit it out of the park. Every Peter Stone scene was always a good one, and it’s just sad that we won’t get to see any more.