'Law & Order: SVU' Season 17 Episode 1 Air Date, Cast & Spoilers: What's Next After Danny Pino's Exit?

The Season 16 finale of NBC's "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" saw the departure of Danny Pino's Nick Amaro after four seasons. Now that the character is gone, some might wonder what's next for Amaro's partner in the NYPD, Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson, and whether she would be getting a new No. 2.

Wednesday night's season ender featured Amaro being shot in the knee and liver while chasing a shooter, sex trafficker Johnny D (Charles Halford), who escaped during his trial, Fox News Latino wrote. Although the police officer survived the attack, he decided that it was best to leave Benson and retire to the West Coast to be with his family. Amaro and Benson had a touching moment when the two characters expressed their gratitude towards each other.

When the finale aired, Pino, 41, tweeted: "Thank u @nbcsvu @WolfFilms cast, writers, directors, guest casts, crew, editors for 4 fantastic seasons. Grateful for all the #SVUDieHards."

Hargitay also tweeted a photo of herself with Pino with the caption: "#FriendsForLife."

Pino first appeared on "Law and Order: SVU" in Season 13 after Christopher Meloni, who portrayed Elliot Stabler, left the long-running series, Fox News Latino added.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about Pino's decision to leave the show, executive producer Warren Leight said that the actor chose to widen his acting opportunities, and that means exiting "Law and Order: SVU."

"At the same time, from a character point of view, we had put his character through a lot," Leight explained to Entertainment Weekly. "Although his intentions were good, a lot of what he'd gone through ended up putting him in trouble with the brass downtown."

He continued, "Amaro's character is at a real dead end with the NYPD. It was interesting to acknowledge the reality of the way his behavior-however well-intentioned and however he's trying to turn it around-has painted himself into a corner."

However, Leight said that there's still a possibility that Pino will return for the show as a guest star, just like the other actors who also came back on the series for a few episodes after leaving, the news outlet noted.

As for how Amaro's departure will affect Season 17, Leight said that it will put pressure on the remaining people in the team, particularly on Kelli Giddish's Amanda Rollins. According to the exec, Rollins and the other characters will be "going through a lot of transition next season," Entertainment Weekly reported.

"Can they find a renewed purpose? Or does it cause them to question their own paths? That's usually what happens when someone leaves the group, it makes everybody else think about what they're doing. We'll see the ripple effect of that," he explained to the news outlet.

In addition, Leight said that fans should expect the new season to feature new characters and probably a new sergeant.

"Law & Order: SVU" will return for Season 17 on NBC this fall.