Overview
- Multiple outlets reported Thursday, July 23, that Reid Scott will depart Law & Order and is back on set filming several episodes to close out Detective Vincent Riley’s storyline.
- Coverage says Scott chose to step away because the cross-country commute to New York kept him away from his family for long stretches of the year.
- James Badge Dale has been cast as a new senior detective who will replace Riley on the squad, though outlets say the precise episode timing for the handoff has not been announced.
- Season 26 is scheduled to premiere Oct. 8, 2026 in a new Thursday 10/9c slot and will feature returning cast members including Tony Goldwyn, Hugh Dancy and Maura Tierney alongside Dale.
- The move follows the series’ familiar pattern of regular cast turnover and underscores how New York-based production can prompt West Coast actors to seek exits for personal and logistical reasons.