Law & Order: SVU season 26 – Release date, cast and latest news

So, it's a good thing then that the 26th season is returning to US screens after a mid-season hiatus this week. Having initially premiered back in October 2024, the season picks back up after what was quite the dramatic mid-season finale.

Speaking about how we're going to see the events of the finale impact Sonny Carisi Jr (Peter Scanavino), the actor told TV Insider: "He’s back at work. He’s kind of going through the motions, but he doesn’t have a lot of life to him.

"And I think a lot of the places that he found sustenance and meaning in his life are not there anymore. So he’s kind of lost while he’s going through the motions. He’s kind of adrift."

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.

But when exactly is Law & Order: SVU returning for the rest of season 26? Read on for everything you need to know.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 26 release date

The 26th season of Law & Order: SVU premiered on NBC in the US on Thursday 3rd October 2024.

It has now been confirmed that season 26 will continue with its mid-season premiere on Thursday 16th January 2025 at 9pm on NBC.

It will premiere an hour after the return of the 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 was released in the UK this August, we could be looking at an 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.

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 and it has been confirmed Giddish will appear in multiple season 26 episodes.

Executive producer Julie Martin told TVLine: “Rollins is definitely coming back to the show. She’s coming as a guest star, and she’s going to make a bunch of appearances throughout the season."

It's 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 Griselda star Juliana Aidén Martinez joins the cast.

Speaking about her character, Martinez told The Hollywood Reporter: "Kate Silva is the daughter of a deputy commissioner, so she’s already facing these preconceived notions that she’s a nepo baby, which, granted, her father was in the force, but she’s also someone that was deeply impacted by 9/11."

She added: "She was a homicide detective previously, so she’s very perceptive with people, very smart. She’s detail-oriented, so she kind of has the expertise of being a homicide detective, but then experiencing real-time victims."

The cast of Law & Order: SVU 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 Kate Silva

What is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 26 about?

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.

In the mid-season finale, Carisi went on quite the emotional rollercoaster as he was caught up in a burglary and didn't appear to be coping well in the aftermath of it. We do know that the events of that burglary will change Carisi but as for in what ways, we'll have to wait and see.

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 sexually-based crimes.

The logline for the mid-season premiere is as follows: "An abhorrent web of lies and betrayal is uncovered when a woman is confronted with video of a night she can't remember; Carisi struggles to move on from his ordeal when the suspect changes his plea."

Is there a trailer for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 26?

Yes!

You can grab your first look at the return of SVU season 26 along with Law & Order in the promo trailer below.

Law & Order: SVU returns on NBC in the US on Thursday 16th January 2025 at 9pm.

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