NBC Photo: Justin Stephens; NBC Photo: Francis HillsSomeone's going to die on the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit finale. But being the shameless scoop hounds we are, we're trying to solve the crime before it happens. We interrogated show runner Neal Baer for some clues.
Ready to put your detective skills to work? Here's what we've learned so far:
Someone's a Goner! This is the single tidbit of spoilery goodness we all know already! So who might not survive the season-10 finale? When we asked Neal if we'd be losing a series regular, he would only say this: "It's a castmember." Hmmm, does that mean it could be one of the less important players, like, say, forensics tech Ryan O'Halloren (Mike Doyle)?
SVUers Take the Case: Neal wouldn't confirm that the death is a sex-related crime, but he did tell us, "The detectives will be involved in solving the case." So will the investigation carry on into season 11? Is there any chance this character might return? "No, [the] death is permanent." But the emotional impact for the crew definitely carries into next year.
Munch Is Out? For some reason, Detective Munch's (Richard Belzer) name always comes up whenever the talk turns to SVU departures. Could it finally be time? Being the slick exec that he is, when asked if Munch were leaving, Neal played coy, saying, "I hope not. Well, we'll see." Doesn't sound like much of a denial or a confession, but come on, you wouldn't do that to us, would you, Neal? SVU just wouldn't be the same without the dynamic duo of Munch and Fin (Ice-T)!
SVU's A.D.A. Overload! Alex Cabot has been back for a few weeks now, and when we asked Neal about Stephanie March's future on SVU, he told us: "Stephanie is in the next-to-the-last episode; she's not in the last episode." So if her arc wraps just before the finale, could her body could be found at the end of that episode, leaving Benson and Stabler and the gang to solve their good friend's death in true finale form? We could be reaching, but it doesn't seem impossible!
Neal did say that you never know what the future holds. "About five years ago, she was gone! She was in witness protection and she got out, so life is unpredictable."
Neal did confirm that Michaela McManus won't be back on SVU, but also that the door is not entirely closed on that other A.D.A. we all love, Diane Neal's Casey Novak. "Well, she was disbarred for a year but as I said, life is unpredictable." We're not math whizzes, but if you carry the two and divide by the...hey, that year off would be wrapping up right about now!
Academy Award Winner X: One last thing, Neal mentioned another very special guest star coming up. We can't name names just yet, but he reveals that "an Oscar-winning performer is coming on in the next-to-the-last episode." Perhaps it's an Oscar winner hoping to get some Emmy consideration for playing the person who murders an SVU castmember? (We're just throwing that out there...)
So what do you guys think? Who's leaving SVU?
Sound off below and give us all of your brilliant theories, and check out the Spoiler Chat on Monday for lots more SVU.
Law & Order: SVU airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.