Current Main Cast and Roles
The current lead cast of Law & Order SVU includes Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, who was promoted to Captain of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit in 2024, and Peter Scanavino as ADA Dominick Carisi Jr., who joined the show in season 16 and remains a series regular. The series continues to air new episodes on NBC and streams on Peacock, maintaining its position as one of the longest-running live-action primetime series in U.S. television history NBC Official Site.
Supporting cast members in the current season include Aime Donna Kelly as Captain Renee Montoya, Irizarry as Detective Joe Velasco, and Octavio Pisano as Detective Joe Velasco, with the lineup reflecting a mix of legacy characters and new additions. The show remains a flagship property of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, and its production is handled by Wolf Films and Universal Television, with Rick Eid serving as showrunner NBCUniversal Corporate.
Key Former Cast Members and Departures
Notable former cast members include Christopher Meloni, who played Detective Elliot Stabler for the first 12 seasons before leaving in 2011, and Mariska Hargitay, who assumed the lead role starting in season 13. Diane Neal played ADA Casey Novak from seasons 3 to 9, and Michaela McManus filled a similar ADA role in season 10, while BD Wong returned as Dr. George Huang in a recurring capacity Wikipedia Law & Order SVU.
Other significant departures include Danny Pino as Detective Nick Amaro, who exited after season 15, and Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins, who became a recurring character in later seasons. The show has seen multiple actors cycle through the SVU precinct and ADA roles, with the writers often integrating new detectives and assistant district attorneys to refresh the investigative team while keeping Benson and Carisi as the central figures.
Cast Longevity, Rankings, and Industry Impact
Law & Order SVU holds the record as the longest-running primetime live-action series in U.S. television, with its 25th season concluding in 2024, and Mariska Hargitay is the longest-serving actor in the main cast, having played Benson since 2000. The series has consistently ranked among the top-rated dramas on broadcast television, with its spinoff Law & Order: Organized Crime serving as a direct sequel, and the franchise remains a cornerstone of NBC's Wednesday and Thursday drama lineup Forbes Business.
The show's cast has earned multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, with Hargitay winning a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama. The series has also launched real-world advocacy efforts through Hargitay's Joyful Heart Foundation, which focuses on ending sexual violence, and its episodes have been cited by organizations such as RAINN for their impact on public awareness of sexual assault investigations RAINN Official Site.