Timothy Busfield’s Episode of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Pulled Following Abuse Charges

NBC has pulled the episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, scheduled to air this Thursday, January 15, which featured Timothy Busfield as guest star.

The decision, first reported by Deadline, comes after an arrest warrant was issued Friday, January 9, for the actor and director, who was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse.

The episode will be replaced with a different one that had been slated for the following Thursday, January 22.

The Thirtysomething alum, 68, faces allegations of inappropriate behavior toward two child stars on the New Mexico set of the Fox/Warner Bros TV drama series The Cleaning Lady, on which he worked as director and executive producer.

The Cleaning Lady ran from January 2022 until June 2025.

According to the warrant, Busfield allegedly told police that there was never a “weird” moment with the kids, and claimed that the parents were upset their sons had been replaced with a younger actor who auditioned, per People.

In a statement to People, a Warner Bros. Television representative said, “The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions. We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when needed, take appropriate action. [We] have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement.”

If found guilty, Busfield could face a minimum of three years behind bars.

Sex crimes are at the center of Law & Order: SVU and the episode Busfield starred in, according to Deadline. He plays a judge in the axed episode, titled “Corrosive,” that deals with abuse.

If you or someone you know suspects child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.