Richard Belzer has turned in his badge.
The veteran actor – who has been a key part of Law & Order: SVU since its inception 15 years ago – retired from the role of Detective John Munch last night.
His character handed over his papers to conclude the episode and NBC has released a synopsis for next Wednesday’s installment that includes a party on Munch’s honor. Look for the SVU team to “come together to say goodbye to Munch,” according to the network.
However, it may not be a permanent goodbye.
An insider tells The Huffington Post that Belzer is still open to the occasional appear on upcoming episodes.
He premiered as Munch way back in 1993 on Homicide: Life on the Street. The detective went on to appear in episodes of The X-Files, Arrested Development, The Wire and the original Law & Order. Altogether, Belzer has made more than 450 episodic television appearances as John Munch.
That’s incredible.