Cast Changes and Returning Characters
Tamara Tunie, after five seasons playing recurring medical examiner, Dr. Melinda Warner, was added to the opening credits. Judith Light who had played Bureau Chief ADA Elizabeth Donnelly in seasons three, four and six returned for the seventh season but with her character acting as a judge.
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix, the recurring character from the previous season was brought back for the episode "Ripped". Played by Mary Stuart Masterson, she helps Detective Stabler come to terms with unresolved issues in what Neal Baer called "an emotionally devastating scene". In addition, the guest star Ernest Waddell from the previous season had his character, Ken Randall, further explored in the episodes "Strain" and "Venom".
Season 7 was Fred Thompson's last season on SVU even though he continued to play DA Arthur Branch on Law & Order for another year. Diane Neal gave an interview about working with him during the seventh season. She compared him to her father, who is a Federal Attorney, with "They're both southern, they're both large, they're both lawyers, they're both the same age, they're both football kind of guys."
Read more about this topic: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 7)
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