Law & Order Season 26 Replaces Major Cast Member After Surprise Exit

Published Jul 22, 2026, 11:25 PM EDT Jennifer is a TV and Movie News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant. Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available. Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are two of her favorite late-night hosts, and Conan O'Brien before he left his show. Her Alien: Earth coverage for ScreenRant is by far the work that she is most proud of so far. She was initially a finance and political editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism. During her off time, she loves to binge-watch cooking shows such as Kitchen Nightmares. Jennifer also loves spending time with her daughter and cherishes every moment of it. Sign in to your ScreenRant account This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Law & Order loses one of its major stars. After three seasons as Senior Detective Vincent Riley, Reid Scott is departing Law & Order, marking another massive change for the long-running NBC police procedural drama. And, according to an exclusive from Deadline, James Badge Dale will be joining Law & Order season 26 as its new lead. Scott's exit is reportedly voluntary, despite still having a year remaining on his contract. The decision is allegedly due to the demands of regularly traveling across the country and spending too much time away from his family in New York. According to the publication, the actor left on good terms, and there is no ill will between him and the network. Although Scott is leaving, fans of Law & Order don't need to worry about Detective Riley just disappearing without an explanation. The character will get a proper send-off that will conclude his arc in the series. Scott has returned to the set to film several episodes that will wrap up the character's storyline before he leaves the series. Dale is expected to join the cast after Riley's exit. However, it has not yet been revealed exactly when the transition between the two will take place, and Dale's character's identity is still shrouded in mystery. Aside from knowing he'll be playing a senior detective who will take over for Riley, not much else is known to the public at the time of this article's publication. More to come...