Lots of characters have cycled into and out of Law & Order: SVU over the past 19 seasons, with a whole host of actors portraying hard-boiled police detectives and hotshot attorneys on the drama. With Chicago Justice's Peter Stone now showing up on the series, we couldn't help but wonder if the character might be around for a long while and actually become a regular fixture on the show for the foreseeable future. Here's what actor Philip Winchester had to say about the chances of him sticking around to help prosecute the perps from the NYPD's Special Victims Unit.
Well, you know, TV's a fickle thing. I would like to be here as long as possible. it's a wonderful show. We have really neat things to do with these characters at the moment, so I think there's plenty of life in [Peter Stone]. But look, those decisions are out of my control. There are other people pulling those levers. I'd like to stick around for a while and dive into this character. And especially with the team of actors around this character. I mean, Mariska, she's an incredibly giving person. She gets it. She understands what the show is. She understands what people want to see. Ice, Kelly, Peter -- there's this flow on set when you're working together, and to learn that and to be a part of that for me, not only character-wise, but as an actor, to learn that is an amazing education in an ensemble. And network TV, this is a finely tuned machine, and you jump on and hold on and hope that you don't fall off. You hope that their momentum and the way that they move doesn't fuck you up. But they've been very kind.
Philip Winchester spoke with CinemaBlend's own Nick Venable recently and revealed that he would certainly love more opportunities to really get into the character and explore this new challenge in his life.
Winchester was also quick to note how wonderful it was to be a part of the ensemble on SVU, with all the actors on set making his job easier, both as an actor who was new to working within the show's well-oiled machine, and as he got used to the flow between his character and the ones who've been on the series for so many years. He also added that, while a bit nervous to step into SVU in the beginning, the cast absolutely made the process painless for him.
You can't help it. We're human, so there's definitely that new kid at school feeling. But they've been very good at reminding me that it's okay. It's okay to feel like that and just hold on.
Well, let's hope that Philip Winchester can stick around for a while, because those guys in the SVU could use all the help they can get putting creepy bad guys away. Warning: spoilers for the Law & Order: SVU episode "The Undiscovered Country". Viewers just learned how Winchester will be able to stick around. Unfortunately for fans of Rafael Barba as the Assistant District Attorney working with Special Victims, Barba has officially departed the series. After he made a fateful decision to end the life of a child who required a ventilator to breathe and whose mother wanted to end his suffering, he was put on trial. Although not convicted, Barba decided that it was time to move on. Winchester's character is in the mix as a regular for the rest of Season 19 and beyond as the new A.D.A.
You can keep up with Law & Order: SVU when the show airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC. For what you can watch in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our midseason premiere guide.
