'Law And Order: SVU': Dan Florek Leaving Show After 15 Years; Retires Captain Cragen On His 401st Episode

Captain Donald Cragen joins Sergeant John Munch in "Law & Order: SVU" retirement.

Dann Florek confirmed on his Twitter account he would be ending his show run on his 401th episode of "Law & Order: SVU".

"Friday was the last day 4 Cragen/Florek. It was a sweet send off! But he'll live on in syndication land 4 evah!" Florek tweeted on Dec. 9.

Florek was an original cast member of "Law & Order", which made its television debut in 1990. However, executive producer Dick Wolf had to fire Florek three years later when an NBC executive wanted to add more female cast members, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Wolf approached Florek in 1999 for "Law & Order: SVU" and he accepted as the executive who wanted him off the show was no longer working for NBC. Since the show's premiere, Captain Cragen has appeared in 394 shows to-date. Florek's character will reportedly have a proper send-off just like Richard Belzer's John Munch. Munch has also retired from the "Law & Order: SVU" squad, with the episode airing last October. Munch's fellow squad members made speeches about working with the Sergeant, commenting on his quirks and paranoid theories.

Belzer wrote in a blog post for the Huffington Post about his experiences with the "Law & Order: SVU" cast and crew. It was about time for Munch to retire, considering most sergeants and detectives retire by age 60 in the state of New York.

"I am truly blessed to have been in the company of so many remarkable people for such a long time! Yes, I am sad. Yes, it's bittersweet. But after 21 years, smart money is on Munch not totally disappearing from the face of the earth. If Sherlock Holmes can survive the Reichenbach Falls then surely we have not seen the last of Detective Sergeant John Munch," Belzer wrote.