If there is one reason above all to love Law & Order: SVU, it's that, like all the L&O properties, it's consistent. Richard Belzer will always come up with a snappy one-liner during the inspection-of-the-body scene ("She can forget about mid-terms"); Ice-T will always say something about "the street"; and if the deceased is a girl, Christopher Meloni is guaranteed to get all bent out of shape and tortured about his daughter. It's dependable, which we find very soothing. But today a jolt of terrible news shook us to our very core: Diane Neal, a.k.a. Casey Novak, SVU's Titian D.A. of five years, will be leaving the show. "Her final air date will be next month’s season finale," TV Guide is reporting. They add that Wolf & Co. are searching for an "up-and-coming" actress to take her place. We hope they at least plan to cast a tall, androgynous ballbuster so passionate about her work that she endangers her own career — if they vary from that formula, our world will seriously be rocked. Aside from a mealy quote from a spokesperson that "she is looking forward to new opportunities and will be missed," no explanation of Neal's departure is given. What could it mean? We don't know, but it's as good a chance as any to play the Law & Order sound!

Diane Neal Exits Law &Order: SVU [TV Guide]