Farina Departs "Law & Order"

Annnnnd....he's outta there!

Guess we'll never learn how he paid for his snazzy outfits, after all.

******

Dennis Farina to leave 'Law & Order'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dennis Farina is turning in his Law & Order badge. Farina has decided to leave his role as New York police Detective Joe Fontana after two seasons on the NBC drama to pursue other offers and projects being developed by his production company, his spokeswoman, Lori De Waal, said Tuesday.

The actor's movie credits include Get Shorty,Midnight Run,Out of Sight and the upcoming Purple Violets and You Kill Me.

Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of Law & Order, said in a statement that he respected Farina's decision and looked forward to working with him again.

Farina's departure isn't the only change for Law & Order, which has a long history of cast turnover. Assistant district attorney Alexandra Borgia, played by Annie Parisse, was killed in the season finale as she investigated a murder case.

Parisse was part of a succession of actresses playing young female prosecutors paired with assistant D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), including Jill Hennessy, Carey Lowell, Angie Harmon and Elizabeth Rohm.

Farina had succeeded longtime series fixture Jerry Orbach, whose Detective Lennie Briscoe was to be featured in a Law & Order spinoff before Orbach's death in 2004.

There was no announcement of cast additions for next season, a Law & Order spokeswoman said Tuesday.