Timothy Busfield controversy causes major change in ‘Law & Order: SVU’

Timothy Busfield has been cast out of on ‘Law & Order: SVU’ due to his ongoing legal case

By Aamna Razi February 04, 2026

Timothy Busfield will not be appearing in the beloved drama Law & Order: SVU, and his role has been recast.

The Thirtysomething actor was supposed to guest star in an episode titled Corrosive as a judge, but the allegations against him have made the network hold back on the release of the episode and they have also replaced the actor with another one.

In a statement issued by NBC, the director is set to be swapped by the Dexter actor David Zayas and the episode which was scheduled to air on January 15 will now be released on February 26.

Timothy is facing claims of sexual assault against four children and one adult, and has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse.

It appears that the decision to remove the 68-year-old is an essential one, since the show itself contains sensitive themes such as sex crimes.

The episode Corrosive deals with topics such as abuse, emphasizing on a concerning case in which a judge’s life gets threatened.

Notably, other themes in the episode are reportedly of trauma and recovery as the SVU team investigates and navigates the case.

Who replaced Mariska Hargitay on SVU?

Mariska was replaced by Connie Nielsen for a brief period, after the former reportedly took maternity leave. Mariska still plays Captain Olivia Benson even in the 27th season of the show.