Despite being brilliant at his job, there's a justified reason why ADA Rafael Barba left Law & Order: SVU. Played by the acclaimed Raul Esparza, Barba became the show's titular Special Victims Unit's go-to assistant district attorney after he asked for a lateral move from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office to Manhattan.
Coming on the heels of a massive crisis due to the recent sex trafficking case that involved police corruption, Barba quickly made an imprint by being ruthless, efficient, and effective in his job. Despite his sassy and frank demeanor, he eventually endeared himself to Olivia Benson and her team on the 16th precinct.
Law & Order: SVU doesn't have any scarcity of great ADAs. Over the years, each one has proven capable of representing Liv and his dedicated group. NBC and Wolf Entertainment also made sure that they were different enough from each other due to various factors, whether that's through their origins, style, or overall perspective. Barba, however, is clearly a standout. After his stint, he became the barometer for those who came next. Interestingly, the only one who comes close to him is Sonny Carisi. Aside from starting as a member of SVU, it's no coincidence that Barba was the one who trained him
Barba Left The DA’s Office After Being Disillusioned With His Final Case
Barba was forced to make the decision to take a child off life support.
Benson and his team were introduced to Barba in Law & Order: SVU season 14 episode, "Twenty-Five Acts." Over the years, he took on some really tricky cases for Manhattan's 16th precinct. Always committed to exhausting all options to get a fair verdict, he would come off as too forward and even crass most of the time, but all of that was part of his process of building a solid argument. While he seemed disconnected and un-invested in his cases, there was never any doubt that he cared deeply about delivering justice. Given this, his departure from the DA's office was motivated by an extremely harrowing case.
In Law & Order: SVU season 19 episode "Undiscovered Country," Barba was forced to make the decision to take a child off life support. Subsequently, he was indicted for the child's murder, which haunted him. He was so emotionally impacted by the whole experience, despite having dealt with horrible cases for decades, that he decided to resign. Barba ended his 21 years as a prosecutor because of what he went through, highlighting just how much toll the cases at SVU can take on even the strongest people.
Barba’s Exit Was Due To Raul Esparza’s Departure From SVU
Esparza was done exploring what else was going to happen with Barba.
Unlike Kelli Giddish's controversial exit from Law & Order: SVU as Amanda Rollins, Barba's departure is less dramatic. NBC and Wolf Entertainment had to find a way to write the character out after Esparza decided to leave the police procedural. He wasn't forced out so that they could replace him, instead, he simply thought that it was time for him to walk away from the police procedural. In an interview with EW back in 2018, Esparza explained that he felt like he had reached the end of the road where he was done exploring what else was going to happen with Barba.
Because of Esparza's decision, Law & Order: SVU had to find a way to explain his exit. For what it's worth, the show spent a considerable amount of time exploring his character, and sometimes, his personal history gets tied up in a case. His friendship with Benson was particularly one of the most interesting aspects of his overarching storyline during his years on the show. The pair got so close that there were theories that NBC and Wolf Entertainment were setting them up romantically, which didn't happen. Still, they remained great friends until the end of Barba's time at the DA's Office.
Can Barba Still Return To SVU?
Despite Esparza's exit from Law & Order: SVU, he maintains a good relationship with his former co-workers. After all, he spent six seasons working in the famed police procedural. After a couple of seasons, he reprised his role as Barba in Law & Order: SVU season 22, "Sightless in a Savage Land," he returned as a defense attorney, setting up an intense face-off with his former protege, Carisi, in a high-stakes case. He also appeared in Law & Order: Organized Crime, as he represented crime boss Richard Wheatley. Granted that Barba currently doesn't exactly have the best image, the door is still open for his potential return.
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