After 20 years of playing Detective John Munch on two different cop dramas, Richard Belzer will retire his character on the Oct. 16 episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Fans of the series were not prepared for Wednesday night’s episode of SVU. When Capt. Cragen uttered the words, "Munch put in his papers," to Olivia Benson, she was not the only one surprised by his departure. The Captain explained the Mehcad Carter case weighed heavy on Munch and he knew it was time.
Belzer is one of three remaining original cast members, leaving Mariska Hargitay and Dan Florek. Though Belzer will no longer be a full-time cast member, he is expected to return for appearance throughout the series, according to the Huffington Post.
Check out the official description of new week’s goodbye episode to Munch:
“A rape victim (guest star Sofia Vassilieva) seeks help from Detective Benson after she’s raped again, while Sergeant Munch retires from the SVU. Sarah Walsh (Vassilieva) wakes up from a night of partying and believes she's been raped. In shock that it could happen again, she calls Detective Benson (Hargitay), who handled her previous rape case, for help. The search for sarah’s attacker leads the cops to a smooth-talking cyber mogul who preys on vulnerable girls and bribes them for their silence. Meanwhile, the SVU comes together to say goodbye to the retiring Sergeant Munch.”
The character of John Munch made his debut on "Homicide: Life on the Street" in 1993. Since then, Belzer’s character has made guest appearances on "The X-Files," "The Beat," "Arrested Development," "The Wire," "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Trial By Jury."
According to Huff Post, Belzer has made more than 450 episodic television appearances as John Munch.
“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” airs on NBC at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays.
