Law & Order: Los Angeles: Three Series Regulars Leaving; Will This Help or Kill It?

Three actors from NBC’s Law & Order: Los Angeles (LOLA) are leaving the series — Regina Hall, Megan Boone, and Skeet Ulrich. Ulrich was actually the first actor to be cast in the new show back in July and plays Rex Winters, one of two detectives on the series. The ladies both play Deputy District Attorneys, Evelyn Price and Lauren Stanton.

The changes are apparently part of an attempt to revamp and save the struggling series. LOLA debuted in late September to a decent 3.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 10.64 million viewers. The numbers quickly tumbled after that and hit a season low of a 1.7 rating and 6.8 million in mid-November. The first eight episodes of the season have averaged a 2.2 in the demo and 8.24 million viewers.

LOLA is currently tied with The Event and Parenthood as the fifth-highest rated scripted series on NBC. It’s hardly a hit and the peacock network certainly needs some dramas that work, particularly in the 10pm hour.

Deadline reports that the cast changes are being made “on-the-fly” and are not out of the ordinary for the early seasons of Dick Wolf-produced shows. The cast and crew are currently working on the 12th installment and production will not shut down for the changes. NBC gave LOLA a full season order for 22 episodes in October.

What do you think? Are these cast changes a good idea? Will it be enough to boost the ratings for Law & Order: Los Angeles?