Diane Neal

 Neal was a guest star as a guest on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing an alleged rapist during Season 3 episode "Ridicule". Neal first was portrayed as the Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak in the show's fifth season, replacing Stephanie March, who played Alexandra Cabot.Neal played Novak through the end of Season 9, during which time the character exited the series after being sacked by the New York State Bar. Neal played Novak for the second time during Season 12, "Reparations," which saw Novak return to SVU as the interim ADA. After that she was a regular role in Season 13. In Season 13 she was last seen on "Valentine's Day." Neal stated her return to the series in Season 13, TV Guide, was "back on track to what original SVU intended to be. It's about sex crimes and child exploitation. It has a more gritty feel." After Chris Meloni's departure, Neal said that March's return into the fictional universe of the show gave viewers a sense of familiarity. "I believe that they should get us in the courtroom together!" she states about March. [In 2021 Neal played Peggy Sue Thomas in the Lifetime film Circle of