It looks like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 27 will have several past favorites returning, including one of the most important figures in the show. Chris Meloni is coming back as Elliot Stabler.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is set for its 27th season, with production underway. There will be changes as both Octavio Pisano and Juliana Aidén Martinez have departed the show, although Pisano is set to appear in the first episode to write off his character.
Also, Kelli Giddish is returning full-time as Amanda Rollins, while Aimé Donna Kelly will be joining as Captain Renee Curry. Now, TVLine has reported that Christopher Meloni will guest-star as Detective Elliot Stabler once more.
Meloni showed off photos of himself on set with Mariska Hargitay. It’s unlikely this is a crossover with Law & Order: Organized Crime, as that show wrapped its fifth season (its first as a Peacock exclusive) earlier in 2025, with a sixth season not ordered yet. It is notable that the fifth season of Organized Crime will air after SVU on Thursdays this fall.
There’s no word on what the storyline involves, with the obvious idea of Stabler and SVU working together on a case. Meloni has made a few appearances on SVU in season 26, both for cases and playing on the long-term slow-burn romance between Stabler and Benson that’s likely to continue.
Who else is returning to Law & Order: SVU season 27?
Meloni won’t be the only returning face for the franchise in season 27. The same Instagram pictures showed Meloni and Hargitay with Dann Florek, who will be coming back as former SVU Captain Donald Cragen. The character was written off in season 15 after retiring from the NYPD, but has made a few appearances since.
Additionally, TVLine has confirmed the return of two more past characters. First is B.D. Wong as Dr. George Huang. The FBI profiler had bounced between a recurring character and a regular over the show’s run, and this will be his first appearance since season 17, when he was actually pitted against the SVU team testifying in defense of a suspected killer.
Finally, Dean Winters will be coming in as Detective Brian Cassidy. The character had been a regular in the first season, which included a brief affair with Benson. After a long time away, he returned in season 13, now working undercover and once more an affair with Benson. Cassidy has popped up a couple more times, last seen in season 20 working for the D.A.'s office.
Bringing back past characters is a regular occurrence for the Law & Order shows, especially SVU. It will be good to see Huang back as he and Benson left off on a bad note and it’ll be nice if they can reconcile. It’s also intriguing to see Cassidy, who had once called Benson “the love of my life,” and his hard edge clashing with the cops.
There’s no word on when each of these appearances will take place yet seeing some familiar faces popping back in makes Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 27 even more of a must-watch for fans.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 27 premieres on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 9/8c on NBC.
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