Chris Noth had several reasons for leaving Law & Order's best episodes. Eventually, Logan was transferred to Staten Island Domestic Disputes after punching a homophobic politician, which was supposed to be the end of his career
While only a few characters are not returning to Law & Order in 2024, the series had quite a bit of cast turnover during its early seasons. Most notably, Sam Waterston replaced Michael Moriarty as a prosecutor; additionally, two other actors had short stints as cops before Jerry Orbach was hired as Lennie Briscoe. Logan and Briscoe are one of the partnerships most closely identified with the series. Logan was a popular character when he departed three seasons later, and thus returned to the franchise after the reasons for Noth's exit were resolved.
Chris Noth Left Law & Order In 1995 Because Of His Conflict With Dick Wolf
A Salary Dispute Led To A Breakdown Of Relations
Mike Logan never lost popularity, even though his character was arrogant and hotheaded, as well as a womanizer. After season 4, he was the only original cast member left. Thus, he was due for a raise. However, it was not financially possible for the series to give Noth the money he deserved, which led to a contract dispute (via Mariska Hargitay couldn't stop Klli GIddish from being written out of Law & Order: SVU.
Why Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy Left Law & Order After 400 Episodes
Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy was the beating heart of Law & Order, so it was a shock to fans when he exited in season 23 after almost 20 years.
In addition to the salary dispute, Noth felt he was not getting enough recognition for his work. Law & Order was mostly a plot-driven series, so there weren't many opportunities for character development, and the actors in the series didn't often get nominated for Emmys. This problem, along with the dispute over salary, led to a breakdown of the relationship between Wolf and Noth, contributing to Noth's leaving Law & Order.
Noth Returned As Mike Logan In 1998's Exiled: A Law & Order Movie
After Resolving His Dispute, Noth Was Willing to Return To The Franchise
Logan was replaced on Law & Order by Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt), who was a similar character but who was not as popular. Thus, it made sense for Law & Order to make a movie starring Logan. This movie was intended to give Logan a better ending to his story and make the transition to other characters on the main show easier to take. Fortunately, by 1999, tensions between Wolf and Noth had cooled to the point that Noth was willing to do the film.
Logan retired from the NYPD at the end of his run on that series, which was a happier ending than the one he'd gotten after Noth initially left the franchise.
Exiled: A Law & Order Movie showed what had happened to Logan after he was transferred to Staten Island. During the film, he has a reprieve from his miserable new job when he discovers new evidence in a murder case that had previously been closed. Logan is able to redeem himself by finding the killer. This Law & Order film led to Logan returning in Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Logan retired from the NYPD at the end of his run on that series, which was a happier ending than the one he'd gotten after Noth initially left the franchise.
Source: Chicago Tribune
Law & Order
- Release Date
- September 13, 1990
- Showrunner
- Walon Green, Michael S. Chernuchin, René Balcer, William M. Finkelstein, Artuhr Penn, Barry Schindel, Nicholas Wootton, Rick Eid
- Writers
- Dick Wolf
Cast
George Dzundza
Chris Noth
WHERE TO WATCH
The beginning of the long-running franchise Law & Order is a crime-drama series created by Dick Wolf and launched on NBC in 1990. The series follows the day-to-day lives of detectives and legal professionals in New York who are involved in apprehending and prosecuting dangerous criminals.
- Seasons
- 24
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Creator(s)
- Dick Wolf
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