TVSquad

Well, that's a relief. After months of speculation that NBC would be bringing Law & Order: SVU back for the 11th season without the two stars that have anchored the show, there's good news. Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni have re-signed with SVU. They pair agreed to stick with NBC's top-rated Neilsen drama for two more seasons.

Good news is probably an understatement. It's really great news because with SVU moving to Wednesday, 9 p.m., the show really didn't need to shake up the cast at this point in time. Stability mattered and NBC found a way to bring the two stars into the fold, offering them both the flexibility they sought.

This is a bummer. (By the way, isn't there a better expression than that to describe disappointment? "What a shame" is just too British to me.) Anyway, TV Guide's Michael Ausiello reports that Law & Order: SVU has lost Diane Neal. The actress, who's played assistant district attorney Casey Novak on the Dick Wolf show for five years has turned in her resignation. This season will be her last. "Diane spent five years on SVU and was a tremendous addition to the SVU team. She is looking forward to new opportunities and she will be missed," says the NBC source about her departure.

Like I said, I'm not happy about this one. Unlike so many of the faces and forms that come in and out of the L&O universe, Diane Neal stuck out. And I mean that in a good way. She had a presence and a passion, which was not only recognizable amid the many others who seem interchangeable, it was crucial to match fire with Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay and the other SVU cast.

They're cooking up a new show for Bobby Flay, the Food Network chef who is quickly becoming the boy who just can't say no. The guy is cooking everywhere -- CBS' Early Show, Boy Meets Grill, Throwdown with Bobby Flay and, of course, he's one of the principals on Iron Chef America. And that doesn't include reruns of BBQ with Bobby Flay. But it's clearly not enough.

If there is any one show that can claim long-running success with a ever-changing cast of characters, it's NBC's Law & Order. For example, during its 16-year run (which will become 17 years starting next fall), the Assistant District Attorney's second-chair slot, which actor Richard Brooks left back in 1993, has been filled by five individuals: Jill Hennessy, Carey Lowell, Angie Harmon, Elisabeth Rohm (who departed earlier this last season) and Annie Parisse as current ADA Alexandra Borgia. Doctor Who didn't even regenerate this much in so little time!

Well, it looks like Parisee may be heading out the door this season, according to Zap2it. Of course, NBC is keeping mum about this rumored departure in order to maximize its ratings during May sweeps. The only mention of the final episode involves Borgia's boss, ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterson), who risks everything in order to nab two vicious criminals.

Parisee's Borgia replaced Rohm's Serena Southerlyn earlier this season when she was let go from the DA's office. In a bit of a departure from the L&O formula, which rarely steeps into a character's background, Southerlyn asked if she was let go because she was a lesbian. Who would replace Borgia? Well, if Conviction isn't renewed, there will be a whole mess of new ADA's to choose from. Maybe McCoy can team up with Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March).