It’s a tough goodbye for fans as we bid farewell to Captain Cragen.
The premiere of season 27 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit took a somber turn, marking the end of an era. In this episode, which aired on NBC last Thursday, we learned about the passing of Captain Donald Cragen, played by Dann Florek. He steered the ship of the SVU for its first 15 seasons.
Although the circumstances surrounding his death weren’t disclosed, many well-known characters from the show came back to honor their old boss during a heartfelt funeral. Among those paying tribute were Capt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Elliott Stabler (Christopher Meloni), George Huang (B.D. Wong), and Brian Cassidy (Dean Winters).
As they reminisced, Benson and her colleagues watched clips of Cragen’s speech at his retirement party, which was filled with meaningful reflections. He stated, “It’s been a long road. Not always pleasant and certainly not easy. I lived for my job, and it’s been a privilege to serve alongside you.” This tribute struck a chord with everyone present.
Benson expressed deep admiration for Cragen, saying he was “the best boss I ever had” and credited him for shaping her skills as a captain.
Throughout the series, Cragen wasn’t just a captain but a father figure for both Benson and Stabler, leading the way in the first 15 seasons before stepping away from his post.
Even after his character’s retirement, Florek made several appearances, showing up in a season 16 episode and again during the milestone 500th episode of SVU. He even lent his talents to the spinoff, Law & Order: Organized Crime.
On another note, while Cragen’s character may be gone, Florek is very much alive and well. He was actually on set for the filming of his character’s farewell. In a light moment last August, Meloni shared a fun snapshot of himself with Hargitay and Florek on Instagram, captioning it, “Hangin with friends on a Friday nite.”
Don’t forget, you can catch new episodes of Law & Order: SVU Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, whether you’re tuning in on NBC or Peacock.
For more details, check out the original piece on Entertainment Weekly.
