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If you’ve been wondering why Fin has mostly disappeared from Law & Order: SVU, we have an answer.
Ice-T told Variety that once Kelli Giddish’s Amanda Rollins was brought back on board, the long-running procedural cut back on his appearances for budgetary reasons.
The actor isn’t upset about it, but I am. This strategy isn’t going to work for Law & Order: SVU for the same reason that cutting Rollins didn’t, and it’s a shame when there are other options available.
Budget Problems Keep Ruining SVU
All networks are struggling financially, which is why they keep making decisions that hurt beloved shows.
Some Blue Bloods fans pointed to SVU’s longevity last year as evidence that CBS didn’t HAVE to cancel their favorite show to save money, but the truth is that SVU keeps cutting beloved characters or doing weird cast rotation things for the same reason.
Rollins was written out of Law & Order: SVU and replaced with an ever-revolving door of newbies, none of whom worked out or did much for the show.
There are only two new characters from that period who are part of Law & Order: SVU Season 27.
Bruno is a brilliant addition, but Curry transferring from Internal Affairs to SVU has left everyone scratching their heads, especially since she’s also a captain, and it’s weird to have two captains in the same squad room.
More to the point, Rollins’ exit outraged a lot of fans, me included. The exit made no sense, and she was shoved into a teaching position that didn’t fit her.
SVU corrected that, and the Intelligence position she took instead had potential as a spin-off that never materialized.
Plus Rollins’ appearances during Law & Order: SVU Season 26 were minimal and mostly focused on supporting Carisi through the ordeal of the robbery and trial of the robber — something which only made fans more angry.
So what did SVU do? They restored Rollins to her original position… and turned Fin into a recurring character.
This Fin Situation Is Even Worse Than Rollins
As it is, fans have been asking for YEARS why Fin keeps getting shoved into the background.
He and Mariska Hargitay are the only ones left from the original cast, not counting Christopher Meloni’s occasional guest appearances, so Fin deserves respect on that basis.
Plus, he used to have storylines. Strong ones.
Things like discovering his son was gay. Dealing with a psychopathic nephew who killed people and expected the cop in the family to look the other way. Supporting Rollins when her sister was wreaking havoc.
I think the last time he had a real storyline was at the end of Law & Order: SVU Season 23!
But for the past few years, fans overlooked his lack of story somewhat — it was frustrating, but at least he was there, even if he was only part of the background in many cases.
However, his absences have been notable, and social media has been flooded with questions about where he is and why he isn’t present.
Trading Fin for Rollins Could Put SVU In an Endless Cycle of Trying to Appease Fans
Fan pressure was part of why Rollins was brought back, though of course that isn’t the whole story — Mariska Hargitay was solidly behind the idea from the second Rollins was written out.
So if fan pressure then demands Fin be brought back full-time, then what? Does Rollins take a backburner again and anger those fans for a second time?
That’s the problem: we have two very popular characters who are both long-term, which means that they are both more expensive than newbies.
SVU has to stay within budget. There’s no getting around that.
But there’s another, better solution. Stop adding new characters so that the series can have a chance at affording both of these long-term regulars.
We don’t really need Curry. We have enough detectives without her.
We keep getting introduced to new female detectives who go by the wayside after a season and who often don’t do much while they are there.
We obviously need the new chief for this political storyline about her going up against Benson, but we don’t need her to be a permanent fixture.
Can’t cutting some of these newbies save enough money to accommodate two long-term regulars?
Plus, SVU already utilizes cast rotation — even Mariska Hargitay isn’t going to be in every episode.
So if it trimmed its cast in other ways and used cast rotation, there would be a chance that Fin and Rollins would both be in sufficient episodes.
Heck, at this point I’d settle for them alternating which one of the two was in each episode. At least then we’d know when to expect Fin.
What do you think the solution to SVU’s budgetary woes is, if it’s not half-eliminating Fin?
Hit the comments with your thoughts. Remember: without you, there’s no TV Fanatic!
Please also share this article with SVU-loving friends so they can join in the conversation.
If you liked this article, check out our coverage of other cop shows like Chicago P.D. and FBI.
Law & Order: SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9/8c. THe next new episode airs on January 8, 2025.
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