'Law & Order: SVU': Everything to Know About the Show's Milestone Season 25

Law & Order just wrapped its milestone 25th season, further cementing the show's status as the longest-running primetime live-action series in U.S. history. The series returned on Jan. 18, 2024 after a long delay that resulted from the Hollywood strikes, and it's since between renewed for a Season 26. 

From cast to episode descriptions, here's what you need to know about SVU Season 25. 

Related: Find Out SVU Star Mariska Hargitay's Net Worth in 2024

Was SVU renewed for a Season 25?

Yes. On April 10, 2023, NBC announced that Law & Order: SVU would get a Season 25. The season finale aired on May 16, 2024. 

What was the SVU Season 25 release date?

Typically, the show would have returned in the fall of 2023, but production was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The show instead returned on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET.

Who is in the Law & Order: SVU Season 25 cast?

Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson 

Law & Order: SVU without Mariska Hargitay would be like Christmas without Mariah Carey. She's played Olivia Benson since the show premiered in 1999 and is now an executive producer.

Ice-T as Det. Odafin "Fin" Tutuola 

The man behind Sargeant Odafin "Fin" Tutuola addressed his future on the series on an episode of the Tonight Show.

"I'm gonna stay on until the wheels fall off," Ice-T said. "Black people don't jump off boats, especially when they're still floating, you understand? We ain't leaving."

Related: Talk About Cool! Meet Ice-T's Three Kids and Their Mothers

Peter Scanavino as ADA Dominick Carisi 

We first met Dominick Carisi in Season 16 when he was a detective in SVU. He's gone on to become an assistant district attorney and husband to Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish). 

Octavio Pisano as Det. Joe Velasco 

The junior detective, who was introduced in Season 23, recently came under fire for his role in an open murder case. 

Related: Mariska Hargitay Delights SVU Fans With 'Just Another Day in the Office' Photo

Kevin Kane as Det. Terry Bruno

Det. Terry Bruno got a whole lot of money when he sued Bronx SVU for wrongful termination. Fin has taken a liking to him, as has Benson.

Was Jasmine Batchelor back as Officer Toni Churlish on SVU?

New Amsterdam alum Jasmine Batchelor played Officer Toni Churlish in Season 24. But she did not return for Season 25 and NBC never commented on her status. 

Who joined SVU Season 25?

Aimé Donna Kelly as Captain Renee Curry

As of Season 25, episode 5, there was a new female captain on the squad on Law & Order: SVU. Captain Renee Curry (Aimé Donna Kelly), who was previously with the Internal Affairs Bureau with the New York City Police Department, was transferred to the Special Victims Unit.

Curry and Olivia Benson have a complicated history. Curry previously investigated Benson over her handling of the Jayvon Brown case in Season 22's "Guardians and Gladiators" and has interviewed her on other matters as well, including the recent and too-close-to-home case in "Duty to Report." This time, though, Capt. Curry's joining the fold as an equal, and it seems like she'll be bringing some much-needed female energy to the force.

Related: What Captain Curry's Arrival Really Means for the Squad on 'Law & Order: SVU'

Who did not return for SVU Season 25?

Molly Burnett as Detective Grace Muncy

Molly Burnett joined the cast as Detective Grace Muncy at the beginning of the 24th season. Muncy came to the SVU unit from the Bronx gang unit, and her new boss Capt. Benson had some issues with her "Millennial" attitude and wardrobe. Still, it came as a shock when she was written off the show at the end of Season 24. 

Was Kelli Giddish in Season 25 of SVU?

Kelli Giddish exited SVU after episode 9 of Season 24 only to reprise the role of Amanda Rollins on the crossover season finales of Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime in May 2023. Although her character's full-time return has not been confirmed, she appeared in the Season 25 premiere as expected. The episode showed her and Carisi with their new baby and gave a glimpse of her working as a professor. 

She was then back again in Episode 11.

Related: What Happened to Rollins on 'Law & Order: SVU'? Find Out When Kelli Giddish Is Coming Back to the Show (Again)

Will Christopher Meloni return to SVU?

Though Christopher Meloni, who plays Elliott Stabler, now headlines the cast of Organized Crime, he has found time to make several guest appearances on SVU since returning to the Law & Order franchise on April 1, 2021 (the episode was appropriately named "Prodigal Son"). Perhaps one day soon the two will figure out if they will or they won't!

Law & Order: SVU Season 25 episode guide

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 1 — "Tunnel Blind" 

Logline: "As the squad celebrates the birth of Rollins and Carisi's child, another child goes missing in broad daylight."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 2 — "Truth Embargo"

Logline: "As Benson teams up with the FBI on an unsolved case, Fin and Velasco investigate a robbery that led to a sexual assault."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 3 — "The Punch List" 

Logline: "The squad helps a man come to terms with being victimized; Benson tries to support a victim's family when tragedy strikes twice."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 4 — "Duty to Report" 

Logline: "When Chief McGrath's daughter discloses a sexual assault, Benson must balance the intricacies of the investigation with McGrath's impulsive actions."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 5 — "Zone Rouge" 

Logline: "A cryptic message sends SVU on a new track to find Maddie; Benson tries to help a federal agent when the case hits too close to home; Capt. Curry tries to make amends with Fin."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 6 — "Carousel" 

Logline: "To identify a woman's attacker, the SVU must track down a mysterious suspect targeting tourists staying in hostels."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 7 — "Probability of Doom" 

Logline: "When a woman turns her husband in for possessing child pornography, the case is complicated by a sudden death; Benson tries to reconnect with a victim she saved."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 8 — "Third Man Syndrome 

Logline: "A brutal assault in the street leads Carisi to pursue hate crime charges; Benson must support a homebound witness who is too scared to speak up."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 9 — "Children of Wolves"

Logline: "A teenager found unconscious in the park leads to a missing persons investigation; Benson must help Noah come to terms with the past when he questions the origins of his birth."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 10 — "Combat Fatigue"

Logline: "The squad is on edge as Carisi waits for a verdict in Maddie's kidnapping case. Benson tries to help the Flynn family pick up the pieces of their broken life."

Law & Order: SVU Season 25, Episode 11 — "Prima Nocta"  

Logline: "A runaway bride calls the SVU for help on the day of her wedding; Rollins pitches in on her day off."