If you grew up watching the original Law & Order, you know there was a specific kind of magic when Detective Ed Green walked onto a crime scene. He had this effortless cool. The leather jacket, the slight swagger, and that voice—smooth enough to calm a witness but sharp enough to cut through a suspect's lies. Jesse L. Martin didn't just play a cop; he became the soulful heart of the 27th Precinct for nearly a decade.
But then, he just... left.
One day he was Jerry Orbach’s protege, and the next, he was walking out the door after a messy internal investigation involving a gambling debt and a shooting. It felt abrupt. For many fans, the show never quite felt the same after his 2008 exit. Honestly, the "L&O" revolving door is famous, but Martin’s departure hit different because he represented the bridge between the old-school grit of the 90s and the slicker, modern era of the franchise.
Why Jesse L. Martin Still Matters to the Franchise
You’ve probably seen the reruns. They’re on every channel, basically 24/7. When you catch a Season 10 episode, you’re seeing Jesse L. Martin at the start of a legendary run. He stepped into some massive shoes. Replacing Detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth) and then Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) wasn't easy, but Martin brought a "street" sensibility that felt authentic. He wasn't just a suit with a badge.
The chemistry between Jesse L. Martin and Jerry Orbach (Lennie Briscoe) is arguably the best partnership in the show's 20-plus year history. It was a father-son dynamic that felt real. Briscoe was the cynical, wisecracking veteran, and Green was the younger, slightly more impulsive detective who actually cared about the people in the neighborhoods they patrolled. When Orbach passed away in 2004, you could see the genuine grief in Martin’s performance. It wasn't just acting. They were close in real life, and that loss shifted the entire energy of the show.
After Orbach left, the show tried to find the right "fit" for Martin. He was paired with Dennis Farina (Joe Fontana), then Michael Imperioli (Nick Falco), and finally Jeremy Sisto (Cyrus Lupo). While those actors were great, the "Green era" was at its peak when he had that stable partnership. By the time 2008 rolled around, Martin had been playing Ed Green for nine seasons. That’s a long time to spend in the dark, rainy streets of a fictional New York City.
The Real Reason Behind the 2008 Exit
So, what really happened?
There wasn't some huge behind-the-scenes drama or a contract dispute that went sour. Honestly, Jesse L. Martin was just tired. He’s a Broadway guy at heart. Before he ever picked up a prop gun, he was originating the role of Tom Collins in Rent. He actually took a brief hiatus from Law & Order in 2005 just to film the movie version of the musical.
In interviews later on, Martin was pretty candid. He felt like he had done everything he could with Ed Green. He told Entertainment Weekly at the time that he felt like he had gone through "actor boot camp" and was coming out a colonel. He wanted to get back on stage before he got "too scared" to do it again. Dick Wolf, the show's creator, is known for being tough, but he’s also known for letting actors go if they’ve put in their time and want to move on. There was no bad blood.
The way they wrote him out, though? That’s still a point of contention for fans.
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In the episode "Burn Card," Ed Green gets caught up in a shooting linked to his past gambling habit. While he’s eventually cleared of murder charges, the investigation unearths enough "shady" stuff that he decides to leave the force. It was a somber, slightly depressing end for a character who had given so much to the city. It felt like the showrunners wanted to leave the door ajar but also punish the character just a little bit for leaving.
Could Ed Green Ever Come Back?
This is the big question everyone asks now that the Law & Order revival is in full swing. We’ve seen Sam Waterston return as Jack McCoy (before his eventual retirement) and Anthony Anderson came back for a season as Kevin Bernard.
Jesse L. Martin has been asked about this constantly, especially while he was busy playing Joe West on The Flash for nearly a decade. His answer?
"I certainly hope so."
He told the hosts of The Talk a while back that there were a lot of "loose ends" with Ed Green. He seems genuinely interested in seeing where the character ended up. Did he become a private investigator? Did he fall back into gambling? Is he living a quiet life in the suburbs?
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Right now, Martin is starring in The Irrational on NBC, where he plays a behavioral science professor. It’s a great role that lets him use his natural charisma, but let’s be real—seeing him guest star on a crossover event with SVU or the flagship show would break the internet. There are no official plans as of early 2026, but in the Dick Wolf universe, never say never.
The Legacy of Detective Green
If you're a fan of the show, you know that Jesse L. Martin brought a level of cool that hasn't really been replicated. He was the first Black lead detective on the show to stay for a significant tenure, and he paved the way for characters like Kevin Bernard and Jalen Shaw.
His influence is everywhere in the procedural genre. You see it in the way detectives dress, the way they talk to witnesses, and that specific "Law & Order" walk-and-talk style.
What you can do next:
- Watch the "Burn Card" episode (Season 18, Episode 14): It’s the definitive end of the Ed Green era and features a really nuanced performance from Martin.
- Check out Jesse L. Martin in "The Irrational": If you miss his presence on screen, this show gives him the lead spotlight he deserves, even if he isn't carrying a badge.
- Revisit the Briscoe/Green years: Seasons 10 through 14 are widely considered the "Golden Era" of the show. If you haven't seen them in a while, they hold up incredibly well.
The door is still open for Ed Green to walk back into the 27th Precinct. Until then, we’ve got hundreds of hours of reruns to remind us why Jesse L. Martin is one of the all-time greats.