Law and Order: SVU season 26 cast guide: Who’s new and who’s returning?

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit is about to start an epic 26th season on NBC! So, who’s new for the drama, and who might be out? Find out here!

It’s still amazing that in a TV landscape where getting to three seasons is an achievement, Law and Order: SVU is still going strong after a quarter of a century. Fans just can’t get enough of the stories of the SVU team helping victims of various assaults often “ripped from the headlines” and some compelling storylines. 

The show has seen some cast turnovers (with one notable exception) and season 26 is ready to introduce some fresh faces. So here’s a quick guide to who’s on the coming season of the long-running TV institution!

Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson

Mariska Hargitay has etched her place in history for playing the longest-running character in a primetime TV drama. Benson has been the center of the show since it premiered in 1999 and although she’s teased retirement now and then, she’s still going strong as the captain. Benson looks ready to continue in season 26 and likely back to butting heads with her bosses to see justice done no matter what. 

Ice-T as Sergeant Finn Tutuola

Right alongside Hargitay, Ice-T has set his own record for playing Fin for 25 seasons and made it clear he’ll still be around for a while. Fin has risen from street cop to sergeant with his own fun style. While he is still happily unmarried, Fin may become a good mentor figure to any new cops and remain a top ally for Benson.

Peter Scanavino as Assistant District Attorney Dominic Carisi

SVU fans have finally gotten used to the former detective becoming the ADA handling their cases. Carisi can bend the rules to get justice done but is still trying his best and is a proven prosecutor. His relationship with Amanda Rollins is likely to get more play this year, yet Carisi will do what it takes to put a guilty perp away for his crimes. 

Octavio Pisano as Detective Joe Velasco

The former undercover cop has proven himself as an able member of the squad. Velasco was tempted to transfer to the gangs task force last year but stuck to SVU. He was mostly sidelined in season 25, yet it looks like he’ll be stepping up to the plate with his attitude and adjusting to the team. Hopefully, season 26 gives him more meaty material to play with. 

Kevin Kane as Detective Terry Bruno 

After recurring for the last season, Kevin Kane is now a series regular as Detective Terry Bruno. Introduced in season 24, Bruno is a member of the Brooklyn SVU team who won a big settlement against the NYPD after reporting on dirty cops. He still remains on the job and moved to the Manhattan SVU team. Now that he’s a regular, we’ll get more focus on Bruno’s past and family life as he steps it up for the new team. 

Aimé Donna Kelly as Captain Rene Curry

Originally an Internal Affairs captain who investigated Benson on a few cases, Rene Curry helped in season 25 when Chief McGrath went after the man who attacked his daughter. Afterward, Curry admitted to Benson she didn’t like IA and was brought onto the SVU team. While not a regular yet, Kelly is expected to return for season 26 and might increase her profile with the team. 

Juliana Aidén Martinez as Detective Kate Silva

New to the cast this season will be Griselda star Juliana Aidén Martinez as Detective Kate Silva. A former homicide cop, Silva appears to be hiding a dark shame of her past that’s led her to join SVU. The daughter of a high-ranking NYPD captain, Kate will be trying to prove herself and should be a great fresh face to spark up SVU this season. 

Kate Loprest as Trial Chief Heidi Russell

This is likely more of a recurring role as Heidi Russell was introduced in the season 25 finale as the new Trial Chief, making her Carisi’s boss. She didn’t win friends by making a case more about herself looking good to the media and brushing off Benson’s warnings they had the wrong suspect in custody. Russell appears set for more appearances and will likely causing more trouble for the team. 

Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins

It appeared that Kelli Giddish was done with SVU when she departed mid-way through season 25. She and Carisi got married and Rollins took a job as a college professor. She made a few appearances that revealed she was expecting another child and season 25 opened with a baptism. It’s been shown Rollins quit her job and missed being a cop although Benson told her moving back to SVU might not be a good fit. Giddish is confirmed to return in season 26 as a guest star and is now a sergeant working in the Intelligence Unit.

It does appear Jordana Spiro won’t be back as FBI agent Savannah Sykes. This makes sense, as Savannah did manage to solve the mystery of her sister’s murder and had no real reason to stay on. There’s always the chance of some other past recurring characters showing up but this cast makes it look like Law and Order: SVU will be as great as ever when the show returns.

Law & Order: SVU Season 26 premieres Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9/8c on NBC.