Law & Order: SVU has been renewed by NBC, but some major characters won’t be returning for the 25th season of the crime procedural drama.
Continuing its run after more than 20 years on the air, Law & Order: SVU will return for season 25 in the fall of 2023 on NBC. The spinoff of Law & Order follows the Manhattan Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department as they investigate sex crimes and put away criminals under commanding officer Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). The series renewal came as no surprise, with Law & Order: SVU being one of the most popular dramas on television (via THR). Season 25 continues the show’s streak as the longest-running American primetime drama in history, having outlasted even the initial run of the original Law & Order.
Law & Order: SVU season 25 will continue the show’s trajectory, maintaining the core cast while still upholding some controversial cast departures from the previous season. The fate of SVU’s frequent crossover events with sister shows is precarious after an announced schedule change for a fellow Law & Order spinoff. However, the show will remain more consistent than some of its competitors in the wake of the disruption caused by the WGA Writers Strike. The landmark 25th season will feature new plot and relationship developments but will be grounded by the familiar consistency that has made Law & Order: SVU a staple of the primetime line-up for over two decades.
Law & Order: SVU Season 25 Latest News
The most recent news about Law & Order: SVU season 25 regards the confirmation of an unexpected cast departure indicated in season 24’s finale. The ending of Law & Order: SVU season 24, which was also the conclusion to a thrilling crossover event with Law & Order: Organized Crime, saw season 24 regular Detective Grace Muncy (Molly Burnett) seem to leave the team for a new task force. While the finality of this goodbye was unclear amid the chaotic events of the Law & Order crossover finale, there has since been confirmation of Molly Burnett’s Law & Order: SVU exit and her character not returning for season 25.
The seemingly abrupt departure of one of the newest members of the squad came as a surprise, especially given Kelli Giddish’s controversial Law & Order: SVU exit. Her character, Amanda Rollins, was a long-time member of the squad, and following her midseason farewell, it seemed safe to assume that the minds behind Law & Order: SVU would want to maintain a sense of consistency when it came to the remaining cast. The news that Burnett would not be returning to the show is another blow to Law & Order SVU viewers, who may already have been feeling the loss of a shrinking cast.
Law & Order: SVU Season 25 Confirmed
Law & Order: SVU season 25 received its official confirmation through the Law & Order Instagram page on April 10, 2023. The account simultaneously announced the renewal of Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime on a post displaying several behind-the-scenes photos from the recent crossover event. Season 25 of SVU will see the continuation of a record broken by Mariska Hargitay and co-star Ice-T, who plays Sergeant Fin Tutuola. As of November 2022, the two are both separate record-holders for longest-running female and male actors in a primetime TV drama (via NBC).
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Law & Order: SVU Season 25 Release Date
While the exact air date for Law & Order: SVU season 25 is not yet known, NBC’s fall line-up has confirmed that the show will be airing in its usual 9 PM Thursday slot, following Law & Order at 8 PM. The show will likely premiere in late September, as it has for the last two decades.
Law & Order: SVU Season 25 Cast
No new cast additions have been announced for Law & Order: SVU season 25. As such, audiences can expect a familiar returning cast led by Mariska Hargitay, who has starred as Olivia Benson since the show began in 1999, and Ice-T, who recently told the Tonight Show “I’m gonna stay on until the wheels fall off.” Other cast members expected to reappear are Peter Scanavino as Dominik Carisi, Octavio Pisano as Joe Velasco, Kevin Kane as Terry Bruno, Jasmine Batchelor as Tonie Churlish, and Demore Barnes as Christian Barland.
The continued presence of Dominik Carisi on Law & Order: SVU is good news for those hoping to see more of Amanda Rollins. With her farewell episode seeing her marry long-time partner ADA Carisi, and season 24’s finale seeing her announce her pregnancy with his child, chances are extremely strong that Kelli Giddish will be reprising the role in guest appearances.
Law & Order: SVU Season 25 Story Details
So far, little is known about the storylines that Law & Order: SVU season 25 will tackle. However, one anticipated story development will likely not be happening any time soon, as NBC’s updated schedule reveals. Law & Order: Organized Crime, the spinoff led by Christopher Meloni’s Detective Elliot Stabler, will be moving out of the “three-prong” line-up (the arrangement that sees it air after other Law & Order shows on Thursday nights) until at least midseason; such a change means fewer opportunities for crossovers, and thus fewer opportunities for the development of Stabler and Benson’s potential romantic relationship.
