‘Law And Order SVU’ Season 16: Dick Wolf Says Richard Belzer Will ‘Be Back Somewhere’ As Detective Munch After Season 15 Exit [VIDEO]
Richard Belzer may have left Law and Order SVU last year as Detective Munch, but could he be returning as his beloved character? Never say never.
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Law and Order SVU creator Dick Wolf wouldn't count out Belzer returning once again. "Richard rode the horse a long time," Wolf told Digital Spy. "I think he's been on 10 different shows as Munch, so I'm sure he'll be back somewhere!"
But, Wolf did say he didn't think it would necessarily be on SVU. Wolf said Munch returning to SVU was "unlikely but a possibility." The creator said that Belzer leaving the hit show was because of cost reasons.
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"Success is its own negative when you are an actor who is not the central actor and you've been there for 15 years," Wolf said. The show is going into its sixteenth season and although there were rumors that it may not return to NBC, Wolf said the show was never in danger.
"There are negotiations every year," he said. "The show after 15 years is very expensive for an hour drama. So the network wanted it back, it was just a question of 'Can we afford to have it back?'."
Season 15 was highly regarded as one of the best reviewed for the long-running franchise, including Emmy talk for star Mariska Hargitay.
Law and Order SVU will return to NBC on September 24.
