Law & Order: SVU season 28 release schedule for US - but when can UK fans expect it?

**Warning – contains spoilers for the ending of season 27 of Law & Order: SVU.**

Created by Dick Wolf, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit began life 27 years ago as a spin-off to the original Law & Order series.

Now on its 28th season and just about to celebrate its 600th episode, the show is now the longest-running prime-time live-action series on American TV, and the third longest-running US show of all time, only beaten by Gunsmoke (with 635 episodes) and The Simpsons (which has surpassed 800 episodes).

At the series' heart is Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson, who is part of the team investigating sexually oriented crimes including rape, child abuse, domestic violence and human trafficking.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter looking back on the first 25 years of the series, Hargitay said: “I think we’re telling people stories that haven’t been told, that deserve to be told, that we’re approaching with the attention to detail that should have been part of our culture for a long time, and now, this show has changed that. So it’s incredibly powerful and shifting the narrative on how survivors are treated. It’s an important show.”

Her co-star, Peter Scanavino, who plays Dominick Carisi, added that part of the show's appeal is that it is entertaining, but that it also goes further than that.

“It’s oddly comforting to people, but I think it gives voice to a lot of people who don’t have voices, and there’s something … appealing’s the wrong word,” he said. “It’s just more like, ‘It’s gonna be OK.’ I think it has that kind of effect on people.”

Read on for everything you need to know about Law & Order SVU season 28.

When will Law & Order: SVU season 28 air in the US?

The 28th season of Law & Order: SVU will premiere in the US on Thursday 8th October on NBC.

In the UK, Sky Witness is currently showing season 27, which will conclude with the season finale on Monday 12th October. Fans can expect to wait until 2027 for the 28th season, but a UK release date has yet to be officially confirmed.

Below is the confirmed US release schedule so far for Law & Order: SVU season 28.

• Episode 1: Volition – Thursday 8 October 2026
• Episode 2: Arcana – Thursday 15 October 2026
• Episode 3: Liberty – Thursday 22 October 2026
• Episode 4: Midway – Thursday 29 October 2026
• Episode 5: TBC - Thursday 5 November 2026
• Episode 6: TBC - Thursday 12 November 2026

The sixth episode of the season will also be the 600th episode of the show and is scheduled to air in the US on 12 November.

It has not yet been confirmed how many episodes will be in the new season, but season 26 had 22 episodes and season 27 had 21, so we would expect a similar number. Keep an eye on this page for the latest news on when subsequent episodes will air.

Law & Order: SVU season 28 cast: Who is returning?

Mariska Hargitay, who has been with the show since the very beginning in 1999, will be returning as Captain Olivia Benson.

She will be joined by:

• Ice-T as Fin Tutuola
• Kelli Giddish as Sergeant Amanda Rollins
• Peter Scanavino as Assistant DA Dominick Carisi
• Kevin Kane as Terry Bruno
• Aimé Donna Kelly as Captain Renee Cutty

It is also expected that Christopher Meloni, who played Elliot Stabler in the series from 1999 to 2011, will return for the 600th episode.

One addition to the cast has also been announced. J Smith-Cameron, best known as Gerri in Succession, is joining the series as Gwen Sharpe, a jury consultant working alongside Benson.

Law & Order: SVU season 28 plot: What will happen?

Fans are speculating what may happen in the landmark 600th episode early on in the 28th season, especially as previous milestone episodes have included famous guest stars (Robin Williams in the 200th episode), and the return of departed cast members such as Danny Pino and Tamara Tunie in episode 500.

“All I will share is we [are] planning it in a big way,” SVU showrunner Michele Fazekas, told Give Me My Remote. "It’s going to be, potentially, the last centennial episode of this whole show, you know? So, we’ll do it right, and it’s planned out."

Fazekas would not confirm Christopher Meloni's return and would only say "people will be psyched" about a potential appearance by a fan favourite character. However, Deadline reported on 23 September that Mariska Hargitay had posted two photos to Instagram the day before, one featuring her pointing to Meloni, who had his back to her, which she captioned 'WHO DAT', and a second of the pair smiling, with the caption 'Happy 600...'

Before the 600th episode airs, there are stories to resolve from the previous season.

During season 27, Benson faced a power struggle with Chief of Detectives Kathryn Tynan (Noma Dumezweni), and also had to deal with the news that one of the most dangerous criminals the SVU had ever dealt with had been released from custody.

Child kidnapper and serial killer Richard Caine became the focus of SVU as the team tried to find enough evidence to arrest him once more. This led to a shoot out, where Detective Griffin was hit by Caine.

While he recovered in hospital in the season finale, Tynan confronted Benson, telling her she would force her to resign for letting Griffin be shot on duty. However, Benson was aware that Tynan once covered up a murder, and had evidence to prove it which she used as leverage to keep her job as captain.

The season ended with the team around a recovering Griffin's hospital bedside, though it is unclear whether he will return to work.

"I really wanted it to come back to that. They got the guy, all of the stuff with [Chief] Tynan has been sort of handled, and at the end of the day the most important part is this core group," Fazekas told People. "I had another scene in the outline after that [one], and I don't remember what it even was, but as I was writing the script, I was like, 'Oh no, this is the last scene.' And I don't need any dialogue in it. I just want to see them together."

Is there a trailer for Law & Order: SVU season 28?

There is a trailer for the new seasons of Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU and you can watch it here.

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Law & Order: SVU is available to watch on Sky Witness and NOW in the UK. You can sign up to Sky TV from £15 a month.

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