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NBC renews 'Law & Order: SVU' but two characters will not be returning

By Sophia Soto | Last updated May 8, 2025 6:47 PM ET

NBC has made the decision to renew Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for the 2025 - 2026 season. However, it was sadly announced that the squad will lose yet another two members after season 26: Octavio Pisano and Juliana Martinez.

Pisano has played Detective Joe Velasco since season 23, and Martinez joined this season as Detective Kate Silva. Prior to the premiere, she wrote on Instagram, "I am so proud to be representing Latinas everywhere tonight. The Elite Squad is back baby, and it just got better than ever."

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was created by Dick Wolf and is the longest-running live-action primetime series in the history of American television. It will head into its 27th season in the fall and have its first female showrunner in the procedural's history.

Michele Fazekas previously worked on the show as a writer and co-executive producer from 2001 to 2006. SVU follows the lives of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate crimes of sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. 

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Mariska Hargitay executive produces and stars as Captain Olivia Benson, who is the longest-running female character in a primetime live-action television series. The rest of the cast includes Ice-T as Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola, Peter Scanavino as Assistant District Attorney Dominick “Sonny” Carisi, and Kevin Kane as Det. Terry Bruno.

Additionally, Law & Order was renewed for a 25th season. The fate of Law & Order: Organized Crime, which was moved to Peacock for its fifth season and stars Christopher Meloni, has not yet been revealed. The crime drama recently lost cast member Ainsley Seiger, who exited in the third episode.

The season 26 finale will premiere at 9 PM ET on Thursday, May 15, and be available to stream on Peacock.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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