‘Law & Order: SVU’ Season 27 Premiere Review: A Fan-Favorite’s Death Sets the Stage for One of the Strongest Episodes of the Series

Law & Order: SVU is officially back for Season 27 with its premiere episode, “In the Wind.” This season has been one of the most anticipated in years, largely because the series brought in its first female showrunner, SVU veteran Michele Fazekas. Fans speculated that having someone return who was part of the show’s early DNA might bring a new energy, and that instinct was right. The premiere set the tone with one of the strongest episodes SVU has delivered in a long time.

Procedurals in general have been shifting toward more serialized storytelling, and SVU is no exception. It’s not enough anymore to just have a “ripped from the headlines” case of the week. More audiences want overarching arcs, complex character dynamics, and stakes that carry over. That’s exactly why this episode clicked for me. It nailed the balance between the procedural beats fans expect and the emotional, serialized storytelling that makes us care about these characters. With Fazekas stepping in as showrunner and Kelli Giddish back as fan-favorite Amanda Rollins, expectations were sky-high. Thankfully, the premiere delivered, beginning with a shocking goodbye to an SVU original that sets the stage for a season full of high stakes and tough choices.

The Season 27 Premiere of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Begins with a Heartbreaking and Shocking Goodbye

Image via NBC

The episode opens not with a standard cold open, but with a visibly shaken Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) walking into a bar — and the memorial of someone who meant a lot to her and to audiences: Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek). While Florek wasn’t a regular on the show anymore, knowing he was around to still pop in and offer advice to the team was comforting. Now that we know he’s gone, that news lands like a gut punch. Losing one of the original cast members is sad of course, especially for a fan-favorite like Cragen. But, I have to admit, as a storytelling choice, it’s incredibly powerful. Olivia reflects on how he was the best boss she ever had, and how everything she knows about leading came from him, which is a reminder of the show’s legacy and her place in it.

But, Cragen’s death reverberates immediately. Fin (Ice-T) admits he’s thought about retirement, and Olivia even gets a brief scene with Stabler (Christopher Meloni) outside the memorial. It’s not much for the hardcore Bensler crowd, but it does highlight something more important: these characters are aging, and the work they do takes a toll. Benson herself says it feels like they’re entering an “all our friends are dying” stage, and it’s as poignant as it is self-aware. I appreciate the writers leaning into this because it feels authentic. It doesn’t mean the end is near, but as Olivia says later on, the end is closer than the beginning.

There are Dual Cases in the ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Season 27 Premiere

The premiere’s first case of the week follows Ella Parsons (Audrey Corsa), a rape survivor staying in an illegal rental while interviewing for cybersecurity jobs. With Benson and Renee Curry (Aimé Donna Kelly) leading the investigation, the team discovers a key witness in building super, Jorge Ruiz (Juan Francisco Villa), but his undocumented status makes him an immediate target for ICE. Watching Olivia balance her grief for Cragen with her determination to protect Ella and Ruiz is where Mariska Hargitay shines. She’s empathetic, ferocious, and unafraid to cross lines, even if it means getting arrested by DHS herself. It’s a “torn from the headlines” story that feels painfully relevant, and the writers handle it without losing sight of the characters.

Meanwhile, Fin faces a crisis of his own when he’s assaulted after leaving Cragen’s memorial and his gun is stolen. Instead of looping Olivia in, he tries to handle it quietly with Detectives Terry Bruno (Kevin Kane) and Joe Velasco (Octavio Pisano) until Rollins forces the truth out. Benson is clearly hurt that Fin didn’t trust her, despite everything they’ve built together. Their confrontation becomes one of the premiere’s most emotional scenes, setting up what feels like a season-long theme: mortality, trust, and what it means to keep moving forward. And unlike Ella’s case, this one doesn’t close. Whoever went after Fin and why remains a mystery, one that could come back to haunt him and the squad.

The Final Scenes of The Season 27 Premiere Leave a Lot Up in the Air

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The final scenes of the episode leave plenty up in the air. Benson is called into the office of her new boss, Chief Kathryn Tynan (Noma Dumezweni), who makes an immediate impression. She’s savvy and politically connected, but also very difficult to read. Dumezweni brings gravitas to every role she plays, and Tynan already feels like a force who could be an ally, an obstacle or both. That duality is fully put on display when she helps secure Ruiz’s release from ICE custody since he helped them testify to catch the rapist, which is a huge relief for Olivia. But almost immediately, she drops a bomb: she’s considering consolidating SVU across all five boroughs, with Benson stepping into a citywide deputy chief role.

Benson resists, insisting she’s not looking to upend her life, but as Tynan tells her, “Change is hard.” That to me signifies that Benson’s not getting out of this that easily. And with Fin sidelined, Tynan also plans to send in a new detective, someone she’s known since they were a child. Rollins had already warned Benson that Tynan might bring in people from Philadelphia, but the way this is framed makes it feel even more personal, maybe family, maybe someone so close they’ll effectively serve as Tynan’s eyes inside the department. That kind of move could create the kind of conflict SVU hasn’t tapped into in years, while also tying neatly into this season’s bigger themes of future, legacy, and what Benson’s next chapter will look like. She’s firm in what she wants now, but for how long can she hold that line?

And just when it seems the episode has wrapped, SVU throws in one more twist: Detective Velasco gets into a mysterious car with no explanation of who’s inside or what it means. It’s a small but ominous cliffhanger, and given that Octavio Pisano’s exit from the series has already been confirmed, it’s clearly setting up longer arcs that will ripple through the rest of the season.