Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 28
Season of American television series
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The twenty-eighth season of American police procedural crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered on NBC on October 8, 2026. The season is produced by Wolf Entertainment, in conjunction with Universal Television.
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| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | |
|---|---|
| Season 28 | |
Promotional poster | |
| Showrunner | Michele Fazekas |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | October 8, 2026 – present |
| Season chronology | |
Michele Fazekas returns as showrunner, following her appointment in the previous season. Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, Kevin Kane, Aimé Donna Kelly, Corey Cott, and Kelli Giddish reprise their roles as Captain Olivia Benson, Sergeant Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, Assistant District Attorney Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr., Detective Terry Bruno, Captain Renee Curry, Detective Jake Griffin, and Sergeant Amanda Rollins, respectively.
Production
Development
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's renewal for a twenty-eighth season was announced on April 16, 2026, with Michele Fazekas returning as showrunner.[1][2] A two-season order was given to the series when NBC announced the series' renewal for its twenty-seventh season in 2025.[3] That June, it was announced the season would premiere on October 8, 2026.[4][5]
Filming
Filming for season 28 commenced on July 22, 2026.[6][7][8] Production for the 600th episode began September 22, 2026.[9]
Casting
Along with the season's renewal in April 2026, it was revealed that Mariska Hargitay (Captain Olivia Benson), Ice-T (Sergeant Odafin "Fin" Tutuola), Peter Scanavino (Assistant District Attorney Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr.), Kelli Giddish (Sergeant Amanda Rollins), Kevin Kane (Detective Terry Bruno), and Aimé Donna Kelly (Captain Renee Curry) would remain with the series.[1] Following that May's season 27 finale, Fazekas expressed her interest in having the entirety of the main cast return for the season.[10] At the same time, Corey Cott (Detective Jake Griffin) alluded to the fact that he would return for the season, despite his name being excluded alongside the season's renewal.[11]
In July 2026, Ice-T revealed during TMZ's podcast that he would appear full-time during the season, following a reduced episode count during the previous one, following Giddish's return.[12][13] That August, it was revealed the entire regular cast would return for the twenty-eighth season.[14] That same month, it was announced J. Smith-Cameron had joined the cast in the recurring role of Gwen Sharpe. Gwen is a jury consultant who will also act as a peer for Hargitay's Olivia.[15][16] Speaking on the character's introduction, Fazekas said that Gwen would be introduced as "somebody who's very, very experienced in a different way" that Olivia could talk to that was not a subordinate.[17] She further divulged that she expected Smith-Cameron to appear "at least three times, if not more" during the season, beginning with the season's premiere episode.[18]
Season 28 will also introduce Jelani Alladin as Aidan Hawkins, the newest Assistant District Attorney (ADA), who is being trained by Scanavino's Sonny.[19] Aidan is characterized as "kind of a rich kid" who attended Harvard University and aspires to run for office.[20]
Cast and characters
Main
- Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson
- Ice-T as Sergeant Odafin "Fin" Tutuola
- Peter Scanavino as Assistant District Attorney Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr.
- Kevin Kane as Detective Terry Bruno
- Aimé Donna Kelly as Captain Renee Curry
- Corey Cott as Detective Jake Griffin
- Kelli Giddish as Sergeant Amanda Rollins
Recurring
- Jelani Alladin as Assistant District Attorney Aidan Hawkins
- J. Smith-Cameron as Gwen Sharpe
Guest stars
In August 2026, Hargitay teased that New York Knicks player Jalen Brunson could guest star during the season. The following month, it was announced he would appear during the season's fifth episode, scheduled to air November 5, 2026.[21] Christopher Meloni will appear as Elliott Stabler during the series' 600th episode, which is set to occur during the season.[22] In May 2026, Fazekas teased Meloni's return and Wolf Entertainment president Peter Jankowski revealed that Meloni had previously met with Fazekas about reprising the role.[23][24] On October 1, 2026, ahead of the season's October 8 premiere, Fazekas revealed that despite discussions, there were no plans for any crossovers with Law & Order within the season.[20]
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [25][26] | Directed by | Written by [27] | Original release date [25][26] | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 595 | 1 | "Volition" | Brenna Malloy | Michele Fazekas | October 8, 2026 | 2801 |
| 596 | 2 | "Midway" | TBA | Kevin Deiboldt | October 15, 2026 | 2802 |
| 597 | 3 | "Anonymity" | TBA | Nicholas P. Evangelista | October 22, 2026 | 2803 |
| 598 | 4 | "Arcana" | TBA | Brant Englestein | October 29, 2026 | 2804 |
Reception
Ahead of the season's premiere, Collider contributor Chelsea Adelaine Hassler wrote that despite the expected guest return of Meloni's Elliott Stabler, the series still had what she described as a "detective problem" that familiar faces, like Meloni's, could not fix. In the article, she wrote: "SVU may never recreate the exact chemistry that made it a television institution, but the only way it can get there is by letting a consistent cast stick around for a few years." She concluded with her hope that Hargitay's Olivia had found an "ensemble that stays together long enough to start writing a new story that takes the show out of its current rut".[28]
The premiere episode drew comparison to the 2024 Cornell University rape allegations, which had recently been reopened for investigation.[29][30] USA Today reported that despite similarities between the episode's storyline (which they described as an "especially timely story") and the actual case, Fazekas revealed she was unaware of the case when writing the episode.[31][a] She further told press that she, along with producers and writers, had focused on "how the law is written" where the episode's storyline was concerned and expressed her hope for ongoing dialogue to take place concerning the laws and how they prevent law enforcement from pursuing cases.[32]
Notes
- The episode "Volition", written by Michele Fazekas, has a dated credit of August 26, 2026, according to the Writers Guild of America.[27] This predates the September 2026 renewed interest in the Cornell 7 case.[29]