"Law & Order: SVU" Renewed for Record-Breaking 21st Season at NBC as Dick Wolf & Mariska Hargitay Write TV History
by Nellie Andreeva
March 29, 2019


"Law & Order: SVU" and its star Mariska Hargitay have cemented their places in television history. NBC has renewed Dick Wolf’s series for a record-setting 21st season, making it TV’s longest-running primetime live-action series, surpassing the previous mark of 20 seasons set by mothership series "Law & Order" (1990-2010) and "Gunsmoke" (1955-75).

And the police procedural may not been done rewriting TV records books as I hear Season 21 is not currently envisioned as a final chapter.




The renewal also marks a milestone for Hargitay’s Lt. Benson as the longest-running character in a primetime live-action series.

Hargitay surpassed "Gunsmoke‘s" James Arness and Milburn Stone as well as Kelsey Grammer who have all portrayed the same character for 20 consecutive seasons. (Grammer did it as Frasier Crane on two series, Cheers and Frasier, and was a series regular for 17 of the seasons versus 20 for the other actors).




“We tip our cap to Dick Wolf, Mariska Hargitay and the amazing cast and crew of SVU, who now all go into the record book,” said Paul Telegdy and George Cheeks, Co-Chairmen, NBC Entertainment in making the announcement.

“This incredible run is an example of what happens when producers, writers and actors all come together and create a show that, year after year, speaks to its audience in a powerful way. We couldn’t be more proud of this remarkable achievement.”




“As SVU moves into its third decade, Mariska has become an iconic figure as a star, advocate and crusader for women,” said creator/executive producer Dick Wolf.

“She is an enduring champion of the movement to end sexual violence, and dozens of episodes have dealt with the very same issues that have shifted into the spotlight in this country in the past two years. Mariska is a delight as #1 on the call sheet and, to me, a true friend.”




“I’m deeply proud to be a part of this groundbreaking show, and humbled to make television history today,” said Hargitay.

“The longevity and continued success of SVU is a testament not only to the show’s powerful storytelling and ability to connect with viewers, but to its necessity. We have told important stories for 20 years, and we will continue to tell them.”

https://deadline.com/2019/03/law-order-svu-renewed-season-21-beats-gunsmoke-record-mariska-hargitay-dick-wolf-history-nbc-1202584991/

Philip Winchester won't return for Law & Order: SVU's record-breaking 21st season (https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/philip-winchester-leaving-law-order-svu-1203176336/)

Winchester, who joined the NBC drama two seasons ago, tweeted after NBC's renewal announcement this morning: "Sadly for me, Peter stone and his 'the facts don’t care about you’re feelings' attitude will not be returning. A huge tip of the hat to my amazing fans and not so big of fans. You ALL make me work harder. Thank you! See you on the next adventure."

^ I'm hoping he returns for "Strike Back's" final season.

Law & Order: SVU is bringing back one of its most beloved showrunners: Warren Leight (https://deadline.com/2019/04/warren-leight-returns-law-order-svu-showrunner-michael-chernuchin-fbi-ep-overall-deal-with-universal-tv-1202600056/)

Leight, who is credited with revitalizing Law & Order: Special Victims Unit during his five-year reign from Seasons 13 through 17, will helm the series for its record-breaking 21st season. Leight recently co-created Law & Order: Hate Crimes with Dick Wolf, which he'll continue to work on as it remains in development at NBC.

Law & Order: SVU boss on record-breaking Season 21: "You don't want it to be just a regular season, you want it to be special" (https://www.eonline.com/news/1075090/law-and-order-svu-boss-on-season-21-s-changes-returning-faces-and-diversity)

"I feel like this is cool…We are aware of this has never been done before," says showrunner Warren Leight, adding: "You want the stories to not feel like they could've happened any time in the last—it could've been episode 330 or 387, you want it to feel like, ‘That was one of the season 21 episodes.' We're looking for stories that allow as full a range of emotion as possible. And also, we can go out to actors and say to Ian McShane or Ariel Winter, which is, ‘Do you want to come and be here for the 21st season?' And that's a pretty good pick-up line." Leight also said to expect more diversity, including more LGBTQ representation, this season. "Look, New York is a pretty diverse city in terms of everything and the show needs to better reflect that," he says. "We have a relatively small cast of regulars now, so there may be people who are with the squad for a few episodes. A lot of times, SVU will team up with vice or SVU will team up with another unit and that allows us to fold people in. It's very hard for me to take a character we've known for 20 years and have that character discover that they're pansexual or something."ALSO: Mariska Hargitay is "appalled and jubilant" that SVU has become relevant in recent years due to the #MeToo movement (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/arts/television/mariska-hargitay-law-and-order-svu.html).