This article contains mentions of violence and sexual assault.

Law & Order: SVU season 26 has a larger cast than the series has had in several years. Many of theLaw & Order: SVU involve several teams of partners working together to solve cases. However, Benson has been short-staffed since taking over as captain of the unit, and this problem became worse after Rollins left in the middle of season 24. Benson's only permanent team member after Rollins' departure was Fin, and she had to rely on several detectives on loan from other agencies.

This will change in the new season, however. Law & Order: SVU for the first time in several years. Her team will consist of several familiar characters and one that is new to the franchise. The new cast for season 26 will help the series return to telling the types of stories that have made it popular for a quarter of a century.

Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson

Born January 23, 1964

• Active Since: 1984

Actor: Mariska Hargitay was born in Santa Monica, California and broke big in ER, where she played Cynthia Hooper, a desk clerk who was in a romantic relationship with Mark Greene. She has played Olivia Benson in Law & Order: SVU since 1999 and has reprised the role on several other series in the One Chicago universe, including Law & Order, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, and Law & Order: Organized Crime. Benson was not the first detective she played, as she was Detective Nina Echeverria in 1997's Prince Street, a short-lived series about of the NYPD Intelligence Unit.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: For the past quarter of a century, Olivia Benson has been fighting for justice for sexual assault survivors as a member of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit. Benson has grown over the years from a new detective to the leader of the unit. She is part cop and part social worker, often encouraging survivors, reassuring them that they can put their lives back together, and connecting them with resources for further . Benson is motivated by her own history as a child conceived during sexual assault whose mother turned to alcohol because of her trauma.

Ice-T as Odafin "Fin" Tutuola

February 16, 1958

• Active Since: 1983

Actor: Ice-T was born as Tracy Marrow in Newark, New Jersey and broke big in Law & Order: SVU, where he has played fan-favorite Detective Odafin Tutuola since 2000. Before Law & Order: SVU, Ice-T played Danny in three episodes of New York Undercover and had small parts in various shows and movies, but was primarily known as a rapper who had controversial songs such as the hit "Cop Killer." Ice-T has been a fixture on SVU for 24 years and has guest starred in several One Chicago crossovers.

Notable TV Shows And Movies:

Character: Fin is the second-longest-running character in Law & Order: SVU. In the series' early years, he was partners with John Munch (Richard Belzer), who retired during season 15. Fin's longevity has made him Benson's most trusted ally among her officers, and he is currently her second in command. During the past few seasons, Fin has often been one of the only detectives working with Benson and is in charge of training and supervising new recruits to the Special Victims Unit.

Kevin Kane as Terry Bruno

July 20, 1988

• Active Since: 2018

Actor: Kevin Kane was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and broke big in Inside Amy Schumer, where he played various characters as part of her comedy and variety show. He is one of the newest additions to Law & Order: SVU, having played Terry Bruno since the end of season 24. However, Kane guest starred in the long-running procedural several times as other characters, most notably in season 20, episode 9, before winning the role of Bruno. He will be a series regular for the first time in 2024.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Terry Bruno has been part of Benson's Law & Order: SVU team since the end of season 24. He had been living off a large settlement after suing the Bronx SVU for wrongful termination after he had been let go for being a whistleblower. However, when Benson and her team wanted to close some open cases at his old job, he agreed to help, and has been part of the Manhattan SVU's team ever since. Fin sometimes calls him "Moneybags" because of the large settlement he received for his lawsuit.

Juliana Aidén Martinez as Kate Silva

April 25 (Year Unknown)

• Active Since: 2014

Actor: Juliana Aidén Martinez was born in Miami, Florida and broke big with Griselda, where she played a character who worked to take down an infamous drug cartel. She also had guest starring roles on The Blacklist, Prodigal Son, and The Mysteries of Laura. Martinez is the newest member of the SVU cast and will play new SVU detective Kate Silva, who will Benson's team during season 26.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Kate Silva is brand new to Law & Order: SVU. She is the daughter of a long-time cop; her father created a new model for collaborative policing within the NYPD. Thus, the other characters will initially mistrust her because they assume she got the job because of who her father is. Silva will also have a complicated personal life that includes some secrets that come out later in the season.

Octavio Pisano as Joe Velasco

May 25, 1986

• Active Since: 2012

Actor: Octavio Pisano was born in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico and broke big in If Loving You Is Wrong, a show about a group of five husbands and wives living on the same street in a fictional community. Pisano also was in Coyote, a miniseries about a group of husbands and wives living on the same fictional street. He has been part of Law & Order: SVU since 2021, where he plays Detective Joe Velasco, a new SVU detective with a troubled past.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Joe Velasco was originally introduced as a mole that Deputy Chief Tommy McGrath put in the Special Victims Unit as part of a power struggle with Benson, who was not afraid to stand up to McGrath in order to ensure her department continued to victims. Benson kept him in her unit even after learning his real mission; however, when she learned that Velasco had covered up a gang murder when he was a pre-teen, she insisted he arrest his childhood friend for the crime to prove that he was now on the side of law enforcement.

Law & Order: SVU ing Cast And Characters

Law & Order: SVU has several recurring characters. During season 26, these characters will be seen in a limited number of episodes, but will be important to the plot.

• Kelli Giddish as Intelligence Detective Amanda Rollins - Giddish has been recurring on Law & Order: SVU since leaving the series in season 24. Outside of Law & Order: SVU, she is best known as Di Henry from All My Children.
• Peter Scanavino as ADA Sonny Carisi - Scanavino has played Carisi in several One Chicago shows. He has guest starred on many shows, including The Blacklist and Person of Interest.
• Aime Donna Kelly as Captain Renee Curry - Curry transferred from IAB to SVU during season 25. She has been a guest star on several shows, including a 2020 episode of Blue Bloods.
  

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  Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

  TV-14

  Crime

  Drama

  Mystery

  104

  9.0/10

  Release Date

  September 20, 1999

  Showrunner

  Robert Palm, David J. Bruke, Neal Baer, Warren Leight, Rick Eid, Michael S. Chernuchin, David Graziano

  Directors

  David Platt, Jean de Segonzac, Peter Leto, Alex Chapple

  Cast

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    Christopher Meloni
  • 
    Mariska Hargitay

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  Streaming

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  Law & Order: Special Victims Unit centers on the NYPD's Special Victims Unit, a specialized team of detectives who investigate and solve cases of sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. Under the leadership of Captain Olivia Benson, the unit deals with complex and sensitive crimes, balancing empathy for victims with the pursuit of justice.

  Writers

  Dick Wolf

  Seasons

  26

  Main Genre

  Crime

  Creator(s)

  Dick Wolf

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