There are reasons that BD Wong’s George Huang is no longer part of Law & Order: SVU. Huang is a soft-spoken, gentle psychiatrist who used to be called in regularly to assess suspects’ mental states, predict the behavior of violent perps who had not been caught yet, and offer support to the rest of the team. Many of Law & Order: SVU‘s best episodes include the psychiatric angle of heinous crimes. Huang was the third psychiatrist to work with the team, and he often provided support to the detectives.
It’s especially disappointing that Huang was not present to help mitigate Benson’s obsession with the Maddie Flynn story in Law & Order: SVU season 25. However, this oversight is unsurprising, considering that Law & Order: SVU no longer includes a psychiatrist on its team. Although the series has occasionally invited another former psychiatrist character, Elizabeth Olivet, to assess a suspect when needed, Huang’s absence is strongly felt in episodes that could have used his expertise in criminal psychology. He last appeared in the procedural in season 17, and it doesn’t appear likely he will return.
Huang Put In For Early Retirement In Law & Order: SVU
His Last Appearance Was In Season 17
Huang was a series regular from seasons 4 through 12, after which he disappeared for a season. When he returned for an episode during season 13, it was finally explained what happened to him: he left SVU for a job in Oklahoma City. It is not clear exactly what his new job entailed, but it was likely that he was doing similar work to what he did in New York, judging from his later decision to take early retirement. In any case, Huang continued to work as an FBI forensic psychiatrist until his retirement.
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During Huang’s final appearance in Law & Order: SVU season 17, he mentions that he is no longer working for Oklahoma City or with law enforcement in any capacity. Instead, he has taken early retirement from the FBI because of his frustrations with his job and is now doing consulting work. Theoretically, this change would have allowed him to guest star frequently on Law & Order: SVU. Unfortunately, he has not appeared in the procedural again since this story, and the episode suggested that his time on the series was at an end.
Why BD Wong’s George Huang Was Written Out Of Law & Order: SVU
There Were Several Reasons
The most likely reason that Huang disappeared from Law & Order: SVU after season 12 is that actor BD Wong wanted to pursue other roles. Wong has appeared in many other projects since his exit from the procedural in 2012. He starred in 2012’s Awake immediately after leaving Law & Order: SVU ‚ at the time, the filming schedule didn’t allow him to do both series. After Awake was canceled, Wong guest-starred on series such as Nurse Jackie, NCIS: New Orleans, Gotham, Mr. Robot, and Madam Secretary.
BD Wong’s Key Roles After Law & Order: SVU | ||
|---|---|---|
Role | Show/Movie | Year(s) |
Dr. John Lee | Awake | 2012 |
Navy Lieutenant Commander Dr. Gabriel Lin | NCIS: New Orleans | 2015 |
Doctor Wu | Nurse Jackie | 2015 |
Dr. Henry Wu | Jurassic World | 2015 |
Brent Rosen | Madam Secretary | 2015-2018 |
Whiterose | Mr. Robot | 2015-2019 |
Wong had one public complaint about Law & Order: SVU. The actor is gay in real life, and he felt that the way the procedural revealed that his character shares his sexual orientation was “cheap… and not the best way to handle it.” (via Attitude.) Specifically, Wong disliked that Huang’s sexual orientation was merely mentioned after 10 years, stating that “it was just kind of a minor point made.” However, it’s unclear how much his feelings about this storyline contributed to his exit from the series, if at all.
Huang’s Law & Order: SVU Season 17’s Return Explained
He Was Consulting For The Defense, Creating Tension With Benson
When Huang returned in Law & Order: SVU season 17, he was working as a consultant after having put in for early retirement with the FBI. He explained that he was frustrated with his job and preferred this type of work, which would allow him to make a positive difference. However, this new position soon put him into conflict with Benson (Mariska Hargitay), making it questionable whether he could return to the procedural in the future. This is unfortunate, considering that they were close friends before this episode.
Huang’s testimony included questioning decisions that Benson and Barba had made years earlier while working the case…
Huang was in New York to testify for the defense in a case that Barba (Raul Esparza) was prosecuting. While it was exciting for him to return, this story soon became one of Law & Order: SVU‘s saddest episodes because it completely destroyed his relationship with Benson. Huang’s testimony included questioning decisions that Benson and Barba had made years earlier while working the case, leaving Benson feeling personally betrayed — especially since Huang wouldn’t retract his accusation that she had unduly influenced a potentially innocent suspect during interrogation.
Huang’s final scene was with Benson. She accosted him in the elevator, and he insisted that the suspect might have been innocent, while Benson was convinced the man was guilty even after Huang pointed out that she might have inadvertently put ideas in his head. This rift seems to have been permanent, considering that Huang hasn’t returned since. Ironically, Benson had a similar conflict with the ADAs in Law & Order season 24, episode 2.
Can Huang Still Return In Law & Order: SVU?
It’s Possible, But Not Likely
Of course, the rift between Huang and Benson doesn’t entirely preclude Huang’s return to Law & Order: SVU. Since Huang is now a consultant in various legal cases, it’s possible that he could again be called on to testify or give an opinion on a particular case. Additionally, Benson could decide to reach out to him to mend fences before asking for his opinion on a case involving a perpetrator with mental health issues. A new appearance could be emotional, considering that Huang and Benson were on the outs at the end of his last story.
Law & Order: SVU left the door open for Huang to return periodically if the storyline makes sense by giving him a job as a consultant, which allows him to come and go as needed. Thus, if BD Wong is interested in returning and the writers create a logical story for his return, Huang could again join the Law & Order: SVU cast from time to time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that there are any plans for him to do so, and Wong’s availability may be limited to guest appearances only in Law & Order: SVU.
Source: Attitude
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
- Release Date
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September 20, 1999
- Showrunner
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Robert Palm, David J. Bruke, Neal Baer, Warren Leight, Rick Eid, Michael S. Chernuchin, David Graziano
- Directors
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David Platt, Jean de Segonzac, Peter Leto, Alex Chapple
- Writers
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Dick Wolf
