Law & Order: SVU season 26 – Release date, cast and latest news
A US release date has been revealed.
In the world of procedural dramas, there's one series that continues to reign supreme. Needing no introduction, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit continues to go from strength to strength in the Dick Wolf universe, and now we know just when season 26 will premiere.
While UK viewers are yet to actually tuck into the 25th season for themselves, US fans have already been treated to it, and can now rest easy knowing there won't be much of a wait until season 26.
NBC recently revealed their autumn schedules, confirming that Law & Order: SVU will premiere this October.
The latest run will prove a particularly major one for Kevin Kane, after his character, Detective Terry Bruno, was upped to series regular.
This update was announced alongside news of a fresh arrival, in the form of Griselda's Juliana Aidén Martinez, who joins the hit show as a new detective - although details of her character are being kept under wraps for now.
A spin-off to the largely successful original Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU continues to chime with viewers for its pertinent themes and long-running beloved characters who we follow as they investigate some of the city's most harrowing sexual-based offences.
So, when exactly will Law & Order: SVU be on our screens? Read on to find out.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 26 release date
The 26th season of Law & Order: SVU is set to premiere on NBC in the US on Thursday 3rd October. It will premiere an hour after the new 24th season of Law & Order that same evening, and the two will continue to air weekly every Thursday on the American network.
As of now, there's no word on when the 26th season will be coming over to the UK, but seeing as the 25th season is set to be released this August, we could be looking at a late 2024 or early 2025 release date for season 26.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 26 cast news
One of the great things about such a long-running series is the fact that the cast are full of the same familiar faces from years past. That's exactly why it wouldn't quite be a series of SVU without Mariska Hargitay at its helm as Captain Olivia Benson or Ice-T as Fin Tutuola.
We'd expect the pair to return to head up the new series along with Peter Scanavino as Sonny, Demore Barnes as Christian Barland and more.
Season 25 did also mark the cameo return of Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins so it could pave the way for more brief returns for the character but that remains unconfirmed for now.
The same can be said of Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, who has featured in epic crossover episodes with Law & Order: Organized Crime. While nothing's been confirmed in the pipeline just yet, there very well could be some potential crossovers in the upcoming new season.
In terms of what has been announced, it's been good news for Kevin Kane, as Detective Terry Bruno is set to play a more prominent role than ever after he was bumped to series regular.
And there's a whole new detective on the scene, as Juliana Aidén Martinez, who has also appeared in 911, joins the cast.
The cast of Law & Order: SVU that we'd expect to make a return for season 26 is as follows:
- Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson
- Ice-T as Odafin "Fin" Tutuola
- Peter Scanavino as Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr
- Demore Barnes as Christian Barland
- Octavio Pisano as Joe Velasco
- Terry Serpico as Chief Tommy McGrath
- Kevin Kane as Detective Terry Bruno
- Peter Scanavino as Sonny Carisi
- Juliana Aidén Martinez as TBC
What will Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 26 be about?
As of now, there have been no confirmed plot details about what fans can expect in season 26.
But, as fans of the series will know, the great thing about SVU (and the other Dick Wolf series) is that each episode is self-contained with its own crime, story and set of guest stars. While we don't know what cases the team are set to investigate in the new season, we have no doubt that Law & Order: SVU will continue to use the important stories within the news cycle to colour what will unfold in season 26 – as the series has been known to do.
One thing's for certain – we do know that we'll continue to follow Olivia Benson and her team as they investigate New York's most harrowing sexually-based crimes.
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Is there a trailer for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 26?
Not yet! As the new season isn't set to land in the US till October, we can likely expect a trailer to be released closer to the time.
Law & Order: SVU is set to premiere on NBC in the US on Thursday 3rd October.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
