Richard belzer (det munch) died at 78

[basilosaurus]

One of my favorite svu characters, although he originated it on a previous show and later cameo reprised in various shows

www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/law-order-svu-actor-richard-belzer-dead-age-78-rcna71393

[Pom]

Lenny/Jerry Orbach's son posted that his dad was waiting to clean RB out on the pool table. It made me cry. RIP Munch.

[Pilsy]

I'm an SVU stan, so very sad to see this. May his memory be a blessing.

[Michelle]

RIP Munch.

[Poeticxpassion]

I watched the recent episode of SVU and Fin was talking about Munch. It’s so sad. I’ve been watching clips on Tik Tok of the best Munch one liners.

[redheadbaker]

One of my favorite Munch scenes was from Season 10, "Babes" when Munch is acting like a mentally ill homeless person.

Munch: [pretending to be a homeless person] They're watching us! The CIA! Brain waves!

Stabler: I've got to say, the man does crazy good.

Tutuola: Good? That's the same old crap he says every day, only louder.

[whattheheck]

I’ve been a fan of his since his days on Homicide. So sad.

[wise_rita]

I had no idea Munch came from a different show. What a cool idea to bring in a previous audience. He was awesome!

[bronxgirl]

I remember watching his stand up on tv when I was in high school. He was great. I loved Homicide. That was a fabulous show. I was happy when SVU started that they used his character.

[anodyne]

Feb 20, 2023 14:51:14 GMT -5 whattheheck said:

I’ve been a fan of his since his days on Homicide. So sad.

It's still one of, if not the best crime drama of all time. Munch has been in my life on an weekly basis for 30 years.

[anodyne]

Feb 20, 2023 16:11:12 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I had no idea Munch came from a different show. What a cool idea to bring in a previous audience. He was awesome!

Homicide and Law and Order started the whole "crossover episodes" in the mid 90s. It was a great and seamless way to carry over his character since they already had a connecting storyline.

[tacokick]

Feb 20, 2023 20:01:23 GMT -5 anodyne said:

Feb 20, 2023 16:11:12 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

I had no idea Munch came from a different show. What a cool idea to bring in a previous audience. He was awesome!

Homicide and Law and Order started the whole "crossover episodes" in the mid 90s. It was a great and seamless way to carry over his character since they already had a connecting storyline.

Crossover episodes date back to I Love Lucy! It’s unusual for someone to hop or be a recurring character on a different show though. Another 90s example was Phoebe/Ursula on Friends and Mad About You.

[tacokick]

Sightings of him around town were pretty frequently over the years! I know a lot of people who have nice stories of running into him.

[anodyne]

Feb 20, 2023 20:57:54 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Feb 20, 2023 20:01:23 GMT -5 anodyne said:

Homicide and Law and Order started the whole "crossover episodes" in the mid 90s. It was a great and seamless way to carry over his character since they already had a connecting storyline.

Crossover episodes date back to I Love Lucy! It’s unusual for someone to hop or be a recurring character on a different show though. Another 90s example was Phoebe/Ursula on Friends and Mad About You.

True, characters jump to different shows and have quest appearances all the time.  Homicide/L&O was different in that they would continue the same storyline from one show to the other, the crime would take place in Baltimore on Homicide and they would need to go to NYC to arrest on L&O.  I think they did one a year, which made the L&O audience familiar with Munch and his transition into the franchise so smooth.

[timorousbeastie]

Feb 20, 2023 19:57:08 GMT -5 anodyne said:

Feb 20, 2023 14:51:14 GMT -5 whattheheck said:

I’ve been a fan of his since his days on Homicide. So sad.

It's still one of, if not the best crime drama of all time. Munch has been in my life on a weekly basis for 30 years.

I definitely agree that Homicide was the best. I was obsessed with it when it was on originally. When COVID started, it became my comfort show to watch over and over again. It’s really amazing to see how well it holds up today. Richard Belzer was such a big part of what made that show so great.

[notsopicky]

I read an article about him this weekend and learned so many things. As a comedian, he was on SNL when it first started in 1975. He also had an interview show and Hulk Hogan was a guest. Apparently Hulk tried some wrestling move on Belzer and Belzer got injured for which he sued and won--bought homes in France with the settlement.

I am doing a rewatch of SVU from S1E1; I started when I had COVID at the end of January. He was a really good actor and I love his dry humor. Meloni's and Hargitay's Insta memorial posts were very sweet.

[whattheheck]

Feb 21, 2023 0:02:43 GMT -5 timorousbeastie said:

Feb 20, 2023 19:57:08 GMT -5 anodyne said:

It's still one of, if not the best crime drama of all time. Munch has been in my life on a weekly basis for 30 years.

I definitely agree that Homicide was the best. I was obsessed with it when it was on originally. When COVID started, it became my comfort show to watch over and over again. It’s really amazing to see how well it holds up today. Richard Belzer was such a big part of what made that show so great.

Off topic - but where did you find it to stream?

[timorousbeastie]

Feb 21, 2023 7:38:14 GMT -5 whattheheck said:

Feb 21, 2023 0:02:43 GMT -5 timorousbeastie said:

I definitely agree that Homicide was the best. I was obsessed with it when it was on originally. When COVID started, it became my comfort show to watch over and over again. It’s really amazing to see how well it holds up today. Richard Belzer was such a big part of what made that show so great.

Off topic - but where did you find it to stream?

It’s not officially streaming anywhere, unfortunately. I have the DVD collection, plus a lot of the episodes are on either YouTube or dailymotion.com.

[maudefindlay]

I didn't know he and Henry Winkler/The Fonz were cousins.

[ksun]

Feb 21, 2023 12:26:32 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

I didn't know he and Henry Winkler/The Fonz were cousins.

You can see a slight resemblance 

[maudefindlay]

ksun, The article I read had side by side photos and you can see a resemblance, but I never would have put them together on my owm.

[prettypitties]

I was really bummed to hear this. Did anyone know that Detective Munch also had a cameo on The Wire? I thought that was pretty interesting.

[ksun]

Feb 21, 2023 19:49:55 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

ksun , The article I read had side by side photos and you can see a resemblance, but I never would have put them together on my owm.

Me either but as soon as you said it I could picture a small resemblance