Law and Order: SVU is one of the most beloved shows airing on primetime television.
Following the lives of a fictional NYPD Special Victims Unit squad, folks get fired up to see Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Sergeant Fin Tutuola (Ice-T), ADA Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino) and the rest of the team bring justice to the Big Apple. Amid love, heartbreak, emotional cases and plenty of others, Law and Order: SVU continues to bring in a legion of fans every week. And after 26 seasons of consecutively being on TV, the show just keeps getting better.
With Law and Order: SVU season 26 being halfway done, we were so hoping a new episode would air soon. Well, we hate to break it to you, but there won't be a new episode of Law and Order: SVU airing on Thursday, December 12. But there is a silver lining to this because it won't be long before the show goes back on the air.
When does Law and Order: SVU season 26 return with new episodes?
It's time to mark your calendars, because Law and Order: SVU will be back with a brand-new episode on Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
As for why there is a hiatus between episodes, SVU aired its midseason finale back in November. At the time, folks watched as Carisi got involved in a hostage crisis at a convenience store. While he made it out relatively unscathed in the grand scheme of things, the experience left him traumatized in a way folks hadn't seen from the character. What's more, it looks like this storyline will be explored when the show comes back on the air, thanks to the clip of Carisi embracing his wife Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) posted on Instagram.
"Just want to hug Carisi and never let go. ❤️," read the caption on November 25.
What's more, when Peter spoke to TV Insider about Carisi's storyline, he added that this episode will cause a ripple effect throughout the rest of SVU season 26.
"Well, they definitely ripple throughout the season," he told the outlet on November 21. "I think in the following episode there’s definitely a different Carisi that emerges, almost like a slight detachment as he’s trying to process this and the unexpected emotional toil that it’s kind of taken on him."
We'll make sure to keep an eye on Carisi when Law and Order: SVU season 26 returns.
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
