Jeffrey Donovan will not return for the new season of Law & Order

Jeffrey Donovan will not return as Senior Detective Frank Cosgrove for season 23 of the long-running series Law & Order. The former Burn Notice star was tapped to helm the NBC revival in 2021. He played Donovan's detective Frank Cosgrove in Dick Wolf's crime drama during seasons 21 and 22.

According to TVLine, which first reported the news, he left for creative reasons.



Donovan (photo) is the last actor to hand in his badge at Law & Order. In 2022, Anthony Anderson, who reprised his role as Detective Kevin Bernard from the original series, left after season 21. He was replaced by Mehcad Brooks, who joined the cast in season 22 as Frank's new partner Jalen Shaw.

The cast also includes Sam Waterston as District Attorney Jack McCoy, Hugh Dancy (Hannibal, The Path) as Senior Assistant District Attorney Nathan Price and Camryn Manheim (The Practice) as Kate Dixon.

Law & Order, which returns for a shortened season in 2024, is produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.