Law & Order: SVU to Air ‘Munch-a-thon’ in Honor of Richard Belzer

A marathon of Detective Munch’s greatest episodes will be aired on USA Network

USA Network will pay tribute to late actor Richard Belzer with a special marathon of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In the Law & Order spinoff series, Belzer played Detective John Munch, a character he first began playing in the 1990s series Homicide: Life on the Street. He spent almost two decades in that show with Munch serving as a fan favorite, and it was very saddening for many viewers of the show who’ve long been fans of Belzer. One way to honor Belzer and remember the actor’s work, and that’s going to be happening soon for many fans courtesy of the marathon.

Per Deadline, the USA Network honoring Belzer has been dubbed the “Munch-a-thon.” Featuring ten episodes, the marathon will start on Sunday, Feb. 26, lasting from 4 p.m. ET/PT until 1 a.m. that night. It’s noted that special “in memoriam” cards will be attached to each of the included episodes, which are “Remorse,” “Legacy,” “Manhunt,” “Parts,” “Uncle,” “Unorthodox,” “True Believers,” “Wonderland Story,” “Spring Awakening,” and “Fashionable Crimes.”

“Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters,” series creator Dick Wolf said in a statement shortly after the actor’s passing. “I first worked with Richard on the Law & Order/Homicide crossover and loved the character so much, I told [screenwriter] Tom [Fontana] that I wanted to make him one of the original characters on SVU. The rest is history. Richard brought humor and joy into all our lives, was the consummate professional and we will all miss him very much.”

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Richard Belzer Is Missed, But His Memory Lives On

Richard Belzer was so synonymous with his Munch character that he would continue to play him in different shows beyond Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: SVU. He is the only fictional character to appear in eleven different TV shows as played by the same actor, as Munch has had special appearances in other shows like The X-Files, Arrested Development, The Wire, 30 Rock, and The Beat. One of his final roles was as a very Munch-like parody character, lampooning himself, in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

“Anyone who ever had the pleasure of watching Richard Belzer portray Det. John Munch — whether on Homicide or Law & Order: SVU – over four decades will never forget how much he inhabited that beloved character to make it his own,” a tribute post share by NBC stated upon Belzer’s death. “His professionalism, talents and dedication to the craft made him a pillar in the industry, but it was his humor, compassion and loving heart that made him family. Our condolences go out to his loved ones as we join them in mourning his loss, but also in celebrating his memory.”

The Law & Order: SVU “Munch-a-thon” will start on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. ET/PT.