Two Law & Order: Special Victims Unit stars will not be returning to the series, PEOPLE confirmed on Tuesday, May 6.
Octavio Pisano and Juliana Martinez, who portray Detective Joe Velasco and Detective Kate Silva, respectively, will leave the long-running NBC series after season 26 concludes. Deadline was the first to report the news.
Pisano, 38, joined the series in season 23. Pisano joined the Special Victims Unit as a former undercover agent who grew up deep in cartel territory in Mexico. Meanwhile, Martinez, 34, joined during the current season as a homicide detective who was working in the Brooklyn Homicide Unit before becoming the newest member of Captain Olivia Benson’s elite squad.
Virginia Sherwood/NBC via Getty in “Law & Order: SVU” season 26 episode 18
Octavio Pisano
The legal drama has not officially been renewed for season 27, but it is expected to be soon. In April, former series writer and co-executive producer, Michele Fazekas, was announced as the series’ first female showrunner, per Variety.
The show follows detectives from the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, led by Capt. Benson, as they investigate and prosecute sexually-based crimes. The Dick Wolf production stars Mariska Hargitay, Ice T, Peter Scanavino and Kevin Kane.
Related: Law & Order SVU Cast: Meet the Longest-Running Members and New Characters
Virginia Sherwood/NBC via Getty
Juliana Aiden Martinez in Law & Order: SVU season 26 episode 16
Before Martinez made her debut in the series in October 2024, she spoke to PEOPLE about joining the popular series and chatted about getting to know her costars.
“I have a journal that I’m collecting of Ice-T quotes, just that I write in every day. If you see him on Instagram, he’s dropping gems, but it’s 10 times that on set. He is definitely Yoda for me,” she said. “Octavio is fantastic. It’s really nice also just having another fellow Latino on the team, and he’s been incredibly welcoming and supportive,” she said.
“Kevin, I’ve also been a fan of, we have a lot of mutual friends,” she continued. “Peter Scanavino makes me laugh. He can quote anything in a movie ever, and he’s incredibly funny. It’s an absolute treat.”
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 26 finale airs on Thursday, May 15 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
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