8 Biggest Unanswered Questions & Mysteries After The Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Finale

Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 22, titled “Post-Rage,” left several questions open that will need to be answered in the next season. NBC’s long-running procedural will be returning in the fall, but has wrapped up its season. Law & Order: SVU season 26 gave Benson a full team to work with and an ongoing subplot about ADA Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino) dealing with trauma, especially after he was held hostage during a bodega robbery at the end of the first half of the season.

“Post-Rage” was one of Law & Order: SVU‘s creepiest episodes, as it dealt with a serial rapist and murderer who was targeting therapists to get revenge after therapy failed to help him. The season finale also included an exit story for Velasco (Octavio Pisano), who left the unit after receiving a promotion. However, the finale also left some important questions unanswered. Fortunately, the series is returning, so many of these questions will likely be addressed in the fall.

8. How & Why Does Kate Silva Leave SVU?

The Finale Didn’t Mention Or Hint At Her Exit

One of the most disappointing aspects of the Law & Order: SVU season 26 finale was that it gave a full exit story to Velasco without a single mention of Kate Silva’s (Juliana Aidén Martinez) fate. It’s already known that Martinez will not be returning as Silva for Law & Order: SVU season 27, so it’s frustrating and annoying that her exit wasn’t foreshadowed or addressed, especially considering that Velasco got a surprise party to celebrate his promotion and a ceremony at the end of the episode that included flashbacks of his time with the unit.

Considering how horrifying the case was, Silva might decide to leave the unit afterward. However, this ending wouldn’t fully ring true for her because she transferred from Homicide, although she might have joined SVU to get away from these gruesome cases and feel police work is not for her because there is no escape. Her exit will likely be explained in dialogue rather than her getting a story at the beginning of Law & Order: SVU season 27. This is unfortunate, as the character was underused to begin with and now will probably get an after-the-fact explanation of her exit.

7. How Will Rollins Rejoin Benson’s Team?

She Is Returning Full-Time For Season 27

News broke that Rollins is returning full-time to Law & Order: SVU in season 27 shortly after the season 26 finale. Rollins did not appear in “Post-Rage,” and in her last guest appearance, she seemed happy working for Intelligence while helping Benson out from time to time. Thus, it’s not clear how Rollins will rejoin the team yet. There also has not yet been any information on what types of stories she will have once she returns to the Special Victims Unit.

It’s possible that Rollins will continue to work for Intelligence but appear in almost every episode of Law & Order: SVU season 27 to help Benson. However, this would stretch credibility and be pointless; there’s no reason for her to not be on Benson’s official team if she is working with her regularly. Once Rollins rejoins Benson’s team, the series will also have to explain how to navigate any conflicts of interest from her marriage to Carisi, who is the main ADA the team works with.

6. What’s Going On with Benson and Stabler’s Relationship?

There Is Still Little To No Movement In Their Storyline

Despite Benson and Stabler’s long relationship history in Law & Order: SVU, season 26 continued to ignore their potential romance. Stabler (Christopher Meloni) only made one guest appearance — during the Law & Order crossover, he had a cameo in which he beat up a guy who was bothering Noah (Ryan Buggle). Supposedly, this was a favor to Benson (Mariska Hargitay), though the two cops didn’t interact on-screen. Later, Benson appeared in the Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 premiere after Stabler was hospitalized, but has not been seen with him since.

Law & Order: SVU will have a new head writer for season 27, and Peacock has not yet made a renewal decision about Law & Order: Organized Crime. Hopefully, some questions about this will be answered soon, as it is disrespectful to the audience to ignore the relationship altogether after building it up in Law & Order: SVU season 24.

5. Has Carisi Resolved His Trauma-Related Issues?

His Trauma-Related Challenges Were A Big Part Of Season 26

Carisi’s trauma-related issues were an important arc in Law & Order: SVU season 26. He had vicarious trauma from the horrors he’d seen on the job during the first half of the season, which made him overprotective of his daughters while Rollins was away on business. These issues were exacerbated in the second half of the season when Carisi refused to get help after experiencing the additional trauma of being held hostage during a robbery and being unable to save the store owner after the owner was shot.

While it’s realistic for Carisi to continue to struggle with trauma, this storyline was not done well or consistently, so hopefully it is over.

Carisi was often quick to judge, arrogant, and overly aggressive in the courtroom because of his trauma, and several of Rollins’ guest appearances were reduced to her having a few lines about her fears for Carisi. Since Rollins will be back full-time, she presumably isn’t traveling anymore, which should reduce Carisi’s stress. Hopefully, this change will provide an off-ramp for this failed story.

4. Will Curry Finally Join Manhattan SVU As A Regular Member?

She Was Not Part Of The Main Cast In Season 26

Although Renee Curry (Aime Donna Kelly) was an important member of Law & Order: SVU‘s season 26 team, she was not part of the main cast. Curry often contributed unique insights that helped solve the case, yet the actress who played her was always listed as a guest star when she appeared. This was odd, as she was as important as the main detectives in solving each week’s case and appeared just as often as the main cast does.

Law & Order: SVU and Dick Wolf Entertainment have not made any statements about whether Curry is returning in Law & Order: SVU season 27. If she does stay, she should be promoted to main cast. While the series likely wants to save money by keeping the number of contract players small, it’s silly to put a character in every episode without acknowledging that they are a part of the Law & Order: SVU cast.

3. Will Noah Be A Bigger Factor In Law & Order: SVU Season 27?

Benson’s Teenage Son Barely Appeared In Season 26

Noah was one of Law & Order: SVU‘s most missed characters during season 26. Benson’s adopted son had been a bigger part of the cast in previous seasons, often having a subplot of his own that intersected with the case Benson was investigating. Thus, Noah’s absence for most of Law & Order: SVU season 26 was both noticeable and strange, leaving the audience wondering whether the writers intended to treat him as if he had never existed.

Noah had a few cameos near the end of the season. Most notably, he appeared in the Law & Order crossover, alerting Benson that some guy attempted to get him to take a ride home from school with him. Noah’s absence could have been due to scheduling conflicts or to the writers taking time to rewrite the character as older than when last seen. Hopefully, he will again have real stories that affect Benson in Law & Order; SVU season 27; Benson’s lack of fear for Noah after cases involving teenagers was a glaring omission that should not be repeated.

2. Will Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Introduce The New Deputy Chief?

Benson Hasn’t Had A Foil Since McGrath Left

Benson’s continual butting of heads with Chief McGrath (Terry Serpico) was an interesting aspect of Law & Order: SVU that evaporated after McGrath resigned. McGrath’s exit story was one of Law & Order: SVU‘s best episodes, as he was forced to resign after he lost his temper with the boy accused of raping his daughter and drew his weapon inappropriately. This final story humanized McGrath, but left Benson without an antagonist in the department to push back against.

Law & Order: SVU season 27 is the perfect time to introduce a new Deputy Chief.

Benson and Fin are both approaching their mandatory retirement ages, so the Deputy Chief could pressure one or both of them to retire early. This would make an especially interesting story if the Deputy Chief was doing so because of political disagreements, though Law & Order: SVU would have to be careful not to repeat the storyline with Benson and McGrath.

1. Will There Be More Crossovers with Law & Order?

These Episodes Allow The Two Teams To Interact

Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU had two crossover episodes during the 2024-2025 season. In both episodes, Benson clashed with members of the original Law & Order because they didn’t share her focus on helping survivors. This led to some interesting stories, especially when Benson and Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney) disagreed on how to proceed with a case and kept getting in each other’s way while trying to help each other succeed.

While there have been no plans announced yet for more crossovers, it would be a good idea. Law & Order: SVU can sometimes get into a rut because of its focus on the same types of cases each week.

Crossover episodes help keep the series fresh and interesting.

Additionally, now that Benson has interacted with the characters twice, it’s the right time to include more of the cast in compelling stories that include the teams from Law & Order.