Juliana Aidén Martinez has already booked a new role following her surprise departure from Law & Order: SVU.
Martinez, 34, has been cast as a brand new character on FBI, according to TV Line. Dedicated fans know, however, that CBS’ FBI exists in the same universe as Dick Wolf’s Law & Order: SVU. On the NBC series, Martinez played Detective Kate Silva for one season before her exit was announced.
During the season 26 finale, which aired in May, undercover detective Joe Velasco (Octavio Pisano) was promoted to detective second grade. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and the rest of the team celebrated the accomplishment before going on to solve another case.
The season ended with a promotion ceremony for Velasco and 15 others. News broke earlier that month that Pisano, 38, and Martinez were leaving the NBC series after season 26. Pisano originally joined Law & Order: SVU in season 23 while Martinez came on board during season 26. The show has since been officially renewed for season 27 with Michele Fazekas was announced as the series’ first female showrunner, but no further explanation was given for Pisano and Martinez’s departures.
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Law & Order: SVU, which premiered in 1999, follows detectives from the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit as they investigate and prosecute sexually-based crimes. The legal drama stars Hargitay, Ice T, Peter Scanavino and Kevin Kane and has seen many cast members come and go.
While fans won’t see more of Velasco and Silva, Kelli Giddish‘s Rollins is officially returning in season 27. Giddish, 45, originally departed Law & Order: SVU in the middle of season 24 in 2022 after more than a decade on the show. She was a guest star in various episodes throughout seasons 25 and 26 before being confirmed as a series regular for the upcoming season.
Martinez’s role on FBI, meanwhile, comes as the show attempts to fill the space left behind by Katherine Renee Kane’s Tiffany Wallace. After Kane’s exit, Emily Alabi came on board as Dani Rhodes. She will be returning in season 8, but only to wrap up her character’s story line.
CBS wrote off Tiffany two months after news broke that Kane, 33, was exiting the series during season 7. The actress joined the cast in 2020 during season 3 after Ebonee Noel, who played Kristen Chazal, left the show at the end of season 2.
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Kane confirmed her departure in August 2024, telling Deadline in a statement that it was “time to look towards new creative endeavors.” She added: “I’m excited for the future and wish the show all the best.”
Prior to her exit, Kane exclusively told Us Weekly that she was looking forward to expanding her character.
“I think what she needs and what I want to see is for her to soften up. For her to have more ease in her life,” she said in May 2024. “I think the way that she is driven and passionate about her work is great, and I think it’s why people love her. But I absolutely want to explore more colors of who she is as a woman.”
