Law & Order is coming back on the 2026 TV schedule for Season 26, but it’s going to look a little different. Following Mehcad Brooks’ departure ahead of Season 25 last year, Reid Scott is officially stepping away as Detective Vincent Riley. Luckily, he will be wrapping up Riley’s story early in the upcoming season, which premieres on October 8. And after hearing the EP teasing what’s in store for his finale episode, I’m already grabbing the tissues.After three seasons, fans will be saying goodbye to Riley in Season 26’s second episode, airing on October 15. Executive producer Rick Eid told TV Insider that his final outing will be a “very personal” Riley-centric episode. And the exit is going to be a pretty memorable one:I think it’ll be really emotional and powerful. And the approach was we wanted to give him a memorable exit. He’s a great character. And honestly, I’d say interestingly enough, the genesis for the idea may have come from Reid himself.Not surprisingly, Riley’s exit will involve his troubled brother Matt, portrayed by Ryan Eggold, who was introduced in Season 24 and has had some run-ins with the law. Last season, before testifying in court, Matt was stabbed and later put into a medically induced coma after suffering complications from a bacterial infection. So he's back, but still in a coma, and it seems like the situation is going to be weighing heavily on Riley, given all that they’ve been through. Eid continued:[Matt] is a complicated character and he’s had a complicated relationship with his brother, but I think, as we started seeing the last time we saw him, there’s real love there, and it’s probably mostly unspoken, but there’s a powerful bond between the two of them, and we’ll see that in this episode.Especially with Matt’s condition, it’s hard to tell what will come of the situation, but it’s likely that this ordeal will have some direct impact on Riley’s departure. Even though their relationship has been complicated, Riley has always cared for his brother. While Eid didn’t share how Riley is being written out, he did continue to talk about the brothers’ dynamic and what is truly underneath all the conflict and issues that could very well lead to what will surely be an emotional exit:I don’t know that we had a master plan on it, but I think I just like the idea of two brothers that live totally opposite lives and who view the world in totally opposite ways yet still connect and love each other. But they have a hard time getting it right. But underneath all the conflict and issues and resentments is a strong brotherly love.I, for one, love when character exits really focus on the personal aspects, because you get to connect with them on a more emotional level one more time. With the show really centering on the Riley brothers for Reid’s final episode, I can’t imagine how that’s going to go, but whatever happens, it will likely lead to the detective’s eventual exit. And whatever happens, fans will surely need to have some tissues on hand, because I can already tell viewers, myself included, will be a sobbing mess. Will we get a nod to Riley's former partner Shaw, who exited in Seaosn 25? We'll have to wait and see.It’s always hard to say goodbye to a cast member and character, which happens a lot in the L&O franchise, but I’m excited to see how this exit turns out, no matter how much it makes me cry. There won’t be much time left to prepare, because Season 26 is coming up pretty quickly. The new season of Law & Order premieres on Thursday, October 8 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription. Reid Scott will be exiting the following week, October 15, so be sure to wear black.