Det John Munch, RIP.

Actor Richard Belzer, who started out as a comedian but became a highly praised dramatic actor on TV, has died at age 78. He’d been living in the South of France for quite some time.

Belzer was beloved as Detective John Munch, first on “Homicide Life on the Streets” and then “Law & Order SVU.” He played the role for 22 years in total. Munch appeared on the original “Law & Order” and “Trial by Jury,” as well. Belzer played him on a total of 11 different TV series and six prime time shows, setting records for popularity and appearances.

Laraine Newman, original player on “SNL,” broke the news of his death on Twitter. She wrote: “I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing. I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL. We used to go out to dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest.”

I knew Richard, he was from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Acerbic and charming, he was famous for going everywhere with his little dog. If he came to Michael’s restaurant or Elaine’s, the the little pup would get a spread out blanket and a bowl of water beneath the table.

Belzer had a pretty awful family life as a kid. Somewhere along the way he became great friends with Jerry Lewis. This was often a topic of discussion for us. Many years ago, Lewis was toasted at the original Friars Club (not the current deteriorated version) in an emotional evening. Belzer was heard calling Lewis “Dad” throughout the evening. It was very touching, and Lewis was grateful for his devotion.

According to my sources, “SVU” often asked Belzer to fly in from France to do cameos, but he was frail and could never make it. His last appearance on “SVU” was in 2016, as seen below. This past Thursday, Munch was mentioned on “SVU” by actor Ice T as Fin, his old partner. I wrote about it on Friday. Fin said Munch had gone back to living in Baltimore, the home of “Homicide,” had opened a bar and was happily married. The producers must have known Belzer was ill, and gave him a fitting goodbye tribute.

Richard Belzer will be much missed.

The jury has returned a verdict: Warner Discovery is cancelling its two syndicated court shows.

I’ve confirmed that “The People’s Court” with Judge Marilyn Milian, and “Judge Mathis” with Judge Greg Mathis, have been convicted of being on the air too long. They will wrap this spring after a respective 26 and 24 seasons.

“The People’s Court,” of course, had its first famous run in the 1980s with Judge Joseph Wapner presiding. The show gained infamy when it was included in the plot of Barry Levinson’s award winning movie, “Rain Man.”

This version began in 1997 as a reboot with former New York Mayor Ed Koch in the black robes. But in 2001, Milian came in and has been making rulings ever since. For all those years, dating back to Wapner, TMZ’s Harvey Levin has been lurking in the hallways and interviewing the litigants. Now he’ll be reduced to just stalking ambulances around Los Angeles.

The two shows average 800,000 and 600,000 viewers a day, which in the talk show world is acceptable. They can’t be too expensive to produce since the participants are real people. But the cost cutting throughout Warner Discovery just goes on and on. Warner’s was a powerhouse with “Ellen” for years until she left the game last year. Now they remain with Jennifer Hudson’s refreshing talk show, renewed for a second season.

Daytime syndication is changing fast. “Dr. Phil” is leaving the biz also this spring. “Live with Kelly and Ryan” is betting everything on replacing Ryan Seacrest with Mark Consuelos. Drew Barrymore teeters on the edge. And it’s not easy to find new shows that click. Is Warner’s getting out of court shows completely? We’ll see. Meanwhile, reruns of “Judge Judy” and new shows of Judy’s “Hot Bench” continue to bring in the big audiences.

Thursday ratings:

“Law & Order SVU” continues to rank as NBC’s highest rated show. Last night it was third highest in ratings behind “Young Sheldon” and “Ghosts.” But even more important — it’s the highest rated drama. Total viewers last night was 5 million!

Revealed in last night’s episode: what has happened to Det. John Munch, aka Richard Belzer? According to Fin, aka Ice T, Munch is happily married, back to living in Baltimore — and owns a bar. Why Baltimore? Munch started there when he was a character on “Homicide: Life on the Streets.” As far as I know, Belzer is not in Bridgeport. He’s been living in the South of France. (My goal, too!)

“SVU” has pulled up the ratings of the shows before it and after. “Organized Crime” may finally be turning around. The revival of original “Law & Order” is booming, too.