When did Detective Nick Amaro leave Law & Order: SVU? Details explored

Law & Order: SVU premiered in 1999 and has been a beloved procedural crime drama series since then. It follows Detective Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay, as Elliot Stabler's partner and now the commanding officer of the SVU.

Throughout the series, numerous new officials joined the show, helped in catching heinous criminals, became fan-favorites, and later exited for various reasons. One of those characters is Detective Nick Amaro, played by Danny Pino. Pino's character joined the crime series in Season 13 and became a staple of the team. However, after being injured while trying to catch a criminal, Amaro, in Season 16, decided to retire and be with his kids.

Amaro became the new partner of Benson after Stabler left, and the relationship that the duo had was not smooth. However, over the years, they learned to respect each other and thrived as a team, which lasted for four seasons, until he left in Season 16. Pino came back as a guest star in Law & Order: SVU Season 23 in 2021.

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Law & Order: SVU - Detective Nick Amaro left in Season 16

Danny Pino's Detective Nick Amaro joined Law & Order: SVU in Episode 2 of Season 13. Over the years, he faced numerous challenges and was enraged by encountering r*pists and p*dophiles. While his relationship with Benson was rocky at the beginning, he gradually became a part of the SVU.

However, he still managed to get into trouble, such as assaulting a p*dophile while off duty. Amaro was informed in his final appearance in the finale of Season 16 that a promotion might not be possible due to his several misconduct accusations.

Apart from this, in the finale episode, Amaro also gets involved in a courtroom shootout. In the tragic incident, Amaro shot the s*x trafficker, Johnny Drake, dead, but also got injured in the process. Drake shot him in his knee and liver. He manages to survive the attack, and later is seen attending Benson's party after she officially adopts Noah.

He informs her then that he was planning on retiring from the force and wanted to be with his kids. Their goodbyes were heartbreaking, but before parting ways, they also told each other how important they had been for one another in these years. With that, Danny Pino's character left Law & Order: SVU.

Law & Order: SVU - Pino's guest appearance in Season 23

After his final appearance in 2015, viewers might have thought that Amaro would not be back in the Law & Order: SVU universe. However, his appearance as a guest star in Season 23, in 2021, was a surprise that no one was ready for.

Amaro appeared in Episode 6 of Law & Order: SVU Season 23, to celebrate the landmark event of 500 episodes of SVU. Apart from Amaro, Melinda Warner, and former captain Donald Cragen also appeared in the special episode. In the episode, it is revealed that Amaro was now working with a company that specialized in analyzing cold-case DNA and had come to reopen a case.

He reunites with his SVU team and Benson again in this episode as they work on a case after a long while. Pino has not appeared since then in the procedural crime drama series.

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