"Law and Order": Where'd They Go? Quiz

Answer: Killed in the line of duty

Max Greevey was one of the original cast members and one of the first to go. He was killed so that he couldn't testify in court against a corrupt construction company.

Greevey died in the first episode of season two, but the actor who played him, George Dzundza, left the show at the end of Season one. A stuntman was used in Max's final scene.

Answer: take a desk job after being shot in the line of duty

Sargent Phil Cerreta was posing as a gun buyer to try to trap a Colombian gang hitman, but it turned ugly and Cerreta took two bullets. Fortunately, he survived and recovered. Unfortunately for his partner, Mike Logan, Cerreta decided to take a desk job.

Cerreta was played by veteran actor Paul Sorvino, perhaps most notably known for his role as Paulie, caporegime in the mafia movie "Goodfellas".

Answer: Punched a politician and was demoted to Staten Island

Detective Mike Logan was one of the hallmark characters of the show. In the last episode of season five, "Pride," Logan punched a homophobic councilman and was sent to "walk a beat" on Staten Island. His character returned a decade later to the "Law and Order" spin-off, "Law and Order: Criminal Intent", where he was made a detective in the Major Case Squad.

Answer: He chose to become a defense attorney.

Paul Robinette left the D.A.'s office after season three. It's possible that he left over political differences with Ben Stone; Stone once asked him if he thought of himself as "a black lawyer, or a lawyer who's black," to which Robinette looked nonplussed.

Robinette returned for three different episodes as a defense attorney.

Answer: Retired and joined a spin-off

Lennie Briscoe, played by Jerry Orbach, was a wildly popular character, for his regular witticisms and deep loyalty to fellow police officers. He officially retired from the police in his last episode on "Law and Order", but he dropped a hint when he told his partner, Detective Ed Green, that he might pick up some hours investigating for the DA's office.

This led to the very short-lived spin-off "Law and Order: Trial by Jury", which was written in large part to give Orbach's beloved character more screen time. Sadly, by then Orbach was quite ill and he was only in the first two episodes before he passed away. No surprise, it ran for only half a season and wasn't renewed.

Answer: Killed in a drunk driving accident

Claire was the first of many attractive female ADAs on the show. There were several allusions to an affair between Claire and her boss, Executive ADA Jack McCoy. In one of the few episodes of "Law and Order" that veered from the usual formulaic script, "Aftershock" followed four characters after they witnessed an execution. Lennie had an alcoholic relapse, McCoy played darts in a bar and revealed to strangers how his father abused him and his mother, Detective Curtis had an affair with Jennifer Garner and Claire was killed by a drunk driver when giving Lennie a ride home.

Answer: Rejected the legal system by resigning

Ben Stone was played by the cranky Michael Moriarty who was angered by the talk of censoring TV and announced he was going to leave the business. In turn, his character, the understated Ben Stone, was written out. Stone had had several disappointments in court, but the worst was when one of his protected witnesses was killed despite being in police custody. He felt guilty and resigned.

You'll also notice that Ben Stone worked in a very plain, dusty-looking government building, but when the next season started, Jack McCoy worked in a plush, book-lined large office with a view.

Answer: Caught up in gambling and resigned

Detective Ed Green left twice, actually. The first time was because he was shot while trying to protect a witness. The actor who played him, Jesse L. Martin, took a leave of absence from the show in order to act in the movie version of "Rent" (Thank you, Suzykew, for that tidbit!). His character was recuperating while he was gone, replaced by Detective Nick Falco, played by Michael Imperiolo.

Ed's permanent departure came in season 18's "Burn Card." He and his partner, Lupo, were investigating the death of a part-time referee when they were led to a gambling operation. Ed shot a suspect and Internal Affairs took over the investigation. It turned out he was protecting an old girlfriend and it was a good shot, so he was cleared. Later, he told his Lieutenant that he had stopped gambling, but then started up again after his partner, Lennie, left. Knowing that gambling and being a cop don't mix, Ed resigned in order to do something else.

We never heard about Ed again except that he gave Detective Lupo his nickname, Lupes.

Answer: She wanted more time with her daughter Katie.

The third second-chair ADA on the show, Jamie Ross, was played by Carey Lowell. She was wealthier than most of her colleagues in the DA's office because she used to be a successful private practice attorney.

We learned she was in the middle of an acrimonious custody battle over her daughter, and one night, Jack McCoy wanted her to stay late to research a frustrating case.

Jamie: "Look at the time. I gotta go."

Jack: "We're not quite done here."

Jamie: "I shouldn't have been away from Katie this long. I'm due in Family Court in three days."

Jack: "We have to go back to Judge Callahan in 12 hours!"

Jamie: "I'm sorry!"

Jack: "Where are your priorities? If Gorton gets a hold of this stuff, he'll come up with some cockamamie alternate theory of the crime, a murderer could walk free!"

Jamie: "And I could lose my daughter. You know what, Jack? That's an easy decision!"

Jack: "Not for an assistant district attorney!"

Jamie: "Fine. I quit!"

She returned to help Jack for the rest of the season, but resigned so she could have more flexible hours in private practice, giving her more time with her daughter. She returned as a defense attorney a couple of times.

Jamie Ross did become a judge, but not until later, in the "Trial by Jury" spin-off.

Answer: We don't know exactly but he probably became a reality show judge.

Arthur Branch took over from the venerable Adam Schiff, the last cast member from the first season to leave the show. Branch's politics were decidedly different from Schiff's, which seemed to give McCoy pause. But McCoy seemed pleasantly surprised that Branch was not particular partisan and took each case at face value. They skirmished, however, and Jack almost resigned.

Branch wasn't in the first episode of season eighteen, and no one ever explained where he went. Jack McCoy was appointed to take his position until the next election.

In real life, the actor who played Branch, former Tennessee Senator Fred Dalton Thompson, resigned in order to focus on running for President. He didn't win the Republican bid. Interestingly, Thompson was once a prosecutor in real life.

In a later episode, executive ADA Michael Cutter mentioned that Branch was being considered for a celebrity judge position on a reality show set in Long Island.