NBC has tapped Dexter actor David Zayas for a key guest role in Law & Order: SVU after pulling an episode that initially featured Timothy Busfield. The network confirmed that Zayas has stepped into the part following Busfield’s legal troubles in New Mexico.
David Zayas joins Law & Order: SVU cast as Timothy Busfield’s replacement
NBC has recast a guest role in an upcoming episode of Law & Order: SVU following criminal charges brought against Timothy Busfield in New Mexico. Now, Dexter star David Zayas will step into the part (via Entertainment Weekly).
The network confirmed that the episode, titled “Corrosive,” which had been withdrawn from its January broadcast slot, has now been re-filmed with Zayas. It is scheduled for release on February 6.
The episode was originally scheduled to air on January 15, 2026. However, NBC substituted another episode titled “Fidelis ad mortem,” while reviewing how to proceed following legal case involving Busfield.
Zayas has already completed production on the episode and will portray the same judge character Busfield had been set to play. The appearance represents Zayas’s first return to the franchise in more than two decades.
According to Entertainment Weekly, authorities in New Mexico filed criminal charges against Busfield after twin child actors accused him of inappropriate conduct during production of The Cleaning Lady.
He served as both director and executive producer on the Fox series. The allegations were first raised in November 2024, when the boys’ mother contacted medical professionals at the University of New Mexico Hospital, leading authorities to begin an investigation.
An arrest warrant was issued on January 10 and Busfield surrendered to authorities three days later. He now faces two counts of criminal sexual contact involving a minor along with a child abuse charge. In a video by TMZ, Busfield said that the claims were false. “I’m going to fight it with a great team, and I’m going to be exonerated,” he added.
