(Photo: Ralph Bavaro/NBC)

Benson and her team are staying on the job. NBC has renewed Law & Order: SVU for a 26th season. The 25th season, comprised of just 13 episodes (due to the 2023 industry strikes), is expected to finish airing in May.

A procedural drama series, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit TV show stars Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, and Octavio Pisano. Special guest stars this season include Kelli Giddish, David Krumholtz, and Amy Carlson. Created by Dick Wolf, the police drama series centers on Lt. Olivia Benson (Hargitay) and her elite squad of New York City Police Department detectives that investigate crimes like sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. The team includes Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola (Ice-T) and Junior Detective Joe Velasco (Pisano). Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Dominick “Sonny” Carisi (Scanavino) investigates while navigating the politics of the DA’s office.

Airing on Thursday nights, the 25th season of Law & Order: SVU averages a 0.53 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 5.03 million viewers. Compared to season 24, that’s down by 4% in the demo and up by 7% in viewership in the live+same day ratings (includes DVR playback through 3:00 AM). Episodes typically pick up about 40% more viewers in the live+7 day ratings.

Today, the network also renewed Law & Order (season 24), Chicago Fire (season 13), Chicago Med (season 10), and Chicago PD (season 12) for the 2024-25 broadcast season. The fate of Law & Order: Organized Crime has yet to be decided.

What do you think? Have you kept up with the Law & Order: SVU series on NBC? Are you glad it’s been renewed for a 26th season? How much longer do you want to see it run?