Octavio Pisano and Juliana Martinez are leaving Law & Order: SVU — but how were they written off the show before season 27?

During the season 26 finale, which aired on Thursday, May 15, Velasco (Pisano) was promoted to detective second grade. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and the rest of the team celebrated the accomplishments before they went to solve the newest case.

The season ended with a promotion ceremony for Velasco and 15 others, which reminded Benson of his growth with SVU. But Law & Order: SVU didn’t officially explain why Velasco and Silva (Martinez) will no longer be on the show.

News broke earlier this month that Pisano, 38, and Martinez, 34, are leaving the NBC series at the end of 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.

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 it remains unclear how Velasco and Silva will exit, 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.
Virginia Sherwood/NBC
The Law & Order universe (which includes the OG Law & Order and Law & Order: Organized Crime) has continued to prosper on NBC while other shows haven’t had the same luck. The network shocked fans on May 9 when NBC announced big changes starting with Lopez vs. Lopez, Night Court, Found, The Irrational and Suits LA all being canceled.

NBC has since renewed The Hunting Party and Brilliant Minds, but those are the only freshman shows that survived — in addition to Grosse Pointe Garden Society, which is still on the bubble.

NBC’s harsh cuts come after the network signed an 11-year deal with the NBA. This agreement, which is worth nearly $2.5 billion per year, means NBC will air up to 100 regular-season games, including the NBA All-Star Game and exclusive first-round playoff games. This also includes games on NBC’s streaming service Peacock and some games on Telemundo.

“We had a lot of shows that we had to pass on in order to put our schedule together,” President of Program Planning Strategy for NBCUniversal Entertainment Jeff Bader told reporters earlier this month. “In the fall, the NBA is a huge priority for us. That is our biggest new show in the fall.”

Bader weighed in on how shows were kept and cut, adding, “We looked at what their performance was, week to week, episode to episode, on both linear and digital, to try and glean which ones we thought had the best ratings story.”

He continued: “And then on the creative side, the creative teams did the same thing, [showing us] which ones have the best potential to capture a new audience.”