Despite diminishing numbers last season, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit TV show staved off cancellation by remaining one of NBC’s best performing scripted series. Since it is now in its 19th season, is an end-date in sight? If its Nielsen ratings keep falling, will Law & Order: SVU be cancelled or renewed for season 20? Stay tuned. *Update below.

An NBC legal drama, Law & Order: SVU stars Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, Peter Scanavino, and Raúl Esparza. The police procedural centers on Lt. Olivia Benson (Hargitay) and her elite squad of New York City Police Department detectives who investigate crimes including sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence.

The ratings are typically the best indication of a show’s likelihood of staying on the air. The higher the ratings (particularly in the 18-49 demo), the better the chances for survival. This chart will be updated as new ratings data becomes available — usually the next day, around 11:30am EST/8:30am PST. Refresh to see the latest.

5/24 update: You can see the rest of the latest night’s ratings.

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For comparisons: The 18th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit  averaged a 1.34 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 5.825 million viewers (live + same day ratings).

Note: These are the Live + Same Day Ratings which include “live” viewing plus delayed DVR viewing, up until 3am local time that same night. Ratings marked with an “*” are the fast affiliate ratings and will be updated with the Live+SD numbers when they are made available. Typically, networks get paid for C+3 ratings which includes DVR viewing within three days of the original airing when commercials are watched. Those numbers are rarely released to the press.

What do you think? Do you still like the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit TV series? Should it be cancelled or renewed for a 20th season on NBC?

5/9/18 update: NBC has renewed Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for a 20th season. Details here.