This is certainly an interesting development. Variety reports that Neal Baer, the executive producer and showrunner for Law & Order: SVU for the past 11 years, has signed an overall development deal with CBS.

This means that he'll be leaving the NBC show at the end of this season and his new three-year deal with CBS will begin as of June 1.

"After more than a decade on 'SVU,' I felt it was time to take a breath and say, 'What's next?' And those people who were there for me at the very beginning said, 'We're next,'" Baer told Daily Variety.

From Eye boss Leslie Moonves on down, the CBS team "admires and respects the writing process, and I admire their insight and passion for storytelling," Baer said. "I think that's a good combination."

Baer joined SVU from ER at the end of its second season and has been an executive producer ever since. The question is how this will affect the show. NBC recently lost the flagship Law & Order. It’s newest spin-off Law & Order: Los Angeles is pulling in decent ratings for NBC (seeing as NBC overall is suffering in the ratings), but it’s certainly not a breakout hit like a lot of CBS shows.

Further, Law & Order: SVU has also lost viewers over the years. SVU will finally be moving back to the 10:00 p.m. slot on Wednesdays during the mid-season NBC schedule shake-up, which many people feel might boost the ratings. Will the show be renewed next season?   Quite possibly, if the stars are still up for it. Will Baer’s departure affect the show creatively?  It’s too soon to tell.

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