David Zayas is replacing Timothy Busfield in an upcoming episode of “Law & Order: SVU” after the latter actor was charged with child sex abuse, The Post can confirm.
The “Dexter” star, 63, will step into the guest role as a judge for the episode titled “Corrosive,” which was originally set to air Jan. 15 but was pulled by NBC after a warrant for Busfield’s arrest was issued last month.
The episode featuring Zayas was shot and will now air Feb. 26 after the show takes a weeks-long break for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The logline for “Corrosive” reads, “An attempt on a respected judge’s life is connected to an anonymous video posted to the SVU tip line. Rollins (Kelli Giddish) tries to help a victim come to terms with their abuse.”
The Post has reached out to NBC and Zayas’ rep for comment.
Busfield, 68, was set to play the judge in the Season 27 episode of the show. He guest starred on the hit series in 2011 and directed two episodes in 2019.
Zayas, meanwhile, appeared on “Law & Order: SVU” for one episode in 2002.
Busfield has been charged with with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse for allegedly inappropriately touching two child actors on the Fox series “The Cleaning Lady,” which he has denied doing.
An investigation by New Mexico authorities that started in Nov. 2024 revealed that the abuse allegedly began in 2022 when the two young actors, both boys, were just 7 years old.
When the “West Wing” alum was questioned by an officer, he allegedly admitted it was “highly likely that he would have” had physical contact with the 11-year-old twin boys at the center of a criminal misconduct investigation against him.
Busfield then allegedly tried to cover his tracks and added that the set was an inherently “playful environment,” according to his arrest warrant.
The “Thirtysomething” actor surrendered to police at his upstate New York home on Jan. 13.
The following week, Judge David Murphy ordered that Busfield be released from custody on his own recognizance until the trial.
His wife of 13 years, “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert, has stood by Busfield amidst the charges.
Busfield has also been accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl at the B Street Theatre, which the actor founded in Sacramento, California. He has not been charged in connection with the alleged abuse against the 16-year-old in California.
