Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 5) - Cast Changes and Returning Characters

Cast Changes and Returning Characters

Stephanie March (ADA Alexandra Cabot) departed the cast after the fourth episode, her character "killed" and placed into the Witness Protection Program. The last minute twist of having her character survive was confirmed as a way of letting her character make further appearances. Christopher Meloni joked that "Dick Wolf always has an aversion to whacking his own people. He gives them a door, not a bullet. Unlike The Sopranos, where you're lucky if you leave with your head on." Diane Neal (who previously guest starred on the show as a female rapist) joined the cast afterward as Casey Novak, a more hands-on and by-the-book ADA than Alex Cabot. In an email interview, Neal wrote "I had no idea whether or not I'd performed well in the audition, but I was lucky enough to get the part." When describing her character, Neal said "I always walked like I was uncomfortable in heels, therefore so did Novak."

Mike Doyle began portraying CSU Forensics Technician Ryan O'Halloran with the episode "Choice", a recurring character he portrayed for the next five seasons. Even though a backstory for O'Halloran was not firmly established during the fifth season, Doyle stated that "they used to write for O'Halloran as if he were from the Midwest." Additionally Judge Joseph Terhune was introduced, played by Philip Bosco who guest starred as a Parkinson's patient in the previous season. The episode "Bound" reveals that his character likes to host poker games and features a scene in which most of the judge characters in SVU are seated at the poker table.