The Season 27 premiere of Law & Order: SVU reunited multiple characters as they said goodbye to one of their own. In the beginning of the episode, audiences learned that the character of former Captain Donald Cragen had passed away offscreen.
We can start off by saying that this was not due to a real life loss, but it still hits hard for longtime fans of the franchise, who have known Cragen since the very beginning. He was an integral part of the team and was the captain of the SVU squad for 15 years before his retirement.
In addition to Captain Olivia Benson (Marissa Hargitay) and Elliott Stabler (Chris Meloni), the memorial also had appearances from other longtime SVU vets. B.D. Wong’s George Huang and Dean Winters’s Brian Cassidy also made their way to the memorial to pay respect to their former captain.
Olivia Benson remembers her boss on Law & Order: SVU
It was a surprising twist for fans, but actor Dann Florek, who portrayed Cragen for 15 years on the show and made occasional guest appearances, is alive and well! The episode did not reveal how Cragen passed away, however.
Florek last appeared in Organized Crime in 2024, in which he was meeting with Stabler. However, his last appearance in SVU was in 2021 for the 500th episode during a virtual meeting.
Even though it had been years since he was seen onscreen, Meloni shared a photo of himself and Hargitay with Florek onset during the filming of this episode. So despite Florek not being part of the episode in person, he was offscreen while it was being filmed.
Cragen had been a pivotal part of the show’s universe, beginning with the original Law & Order before moving to SVU. He was always there for his team and became a father figure for Benson herself.
The episode also featured footage of Cragen, as the team watched a video of his speech during his retirement party. In the video, he finished his speech saying, “It has been a privilege to have been able to serve with you.”
Benson would also describe him as “the best boss I ever had” while speaking to the rest of her team. She also talked in the episode about how alike they were and not having realized it “until after he was gone.”
While it is unlikely we will find out what happened to Cragen, hopefully the show will remember him from time to time throughout the rest of its tenure. Cragen was a huge part of the team and held everyone together through their various antics throughout the years.
Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays on NBC at 9/8c.