Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is bringing back one of its fan-favorite detectives next season.
Kelli Giddish, who starred as Amanda Rollins on more than 250 episodes of NBC’s long-running police procedural before her departure as a series regular in 2022, is officially making a comeback in season 27.
While Giddish, 45, has made a handful of guest appearances as Rollins since her exit, she has been reinstated as a series regular for the forthcoming season, The Independent has learned.
Giddish was written off the series midway through season 24, when her character married ADA Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. (Peter Scanavino) and quit her detective job in the Special Victims Unit for a teaching position at Fordham University.
Her unexpected departure devastated many SVU fans, who had been watching Rollins solve crimes alongside series lead Mariska Hargitay’s Captain Olivia Benson since she was first introduced in season 13.
“Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life,” Giddish wrote on social media at the time. “There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins.”
Hargitay spoke out about Giddish’s exit in May 2024, revealing that she fought hard to keep her beloved co-star.
“Kelli is my favorite actor to work with. Kelli is my heart. It’s a sore subject,” she told Variety. “I have a lot of say on the show, but I didn’t have enough [sway] there.”
She added: “I don’t like not being listened to, especially when I’m right. That relationship was one of the most powerful relationships in television because you saw these two badass women, so flawed and so there for each other.”
Giddish’s official return comes a week after reports broke that Octavio Pisano and Juliana Martinez, who play Detective Joe Velasco and Detective Kate Silva, respectively, are set to depart the series following the conclusion of the current season 26.
Pisano, 38, first joined the network drama during season 23 in 2021. Martinez, 34, was added to the cast last October.
The reason for the pair’s exit remains unknown; however, according to Deadline, it comes as several NBC shows have been hit by budget cuts, which have largely impacted casting, episodes, and renewals.
Law & Order: SVU, which has been airing since 1999, follows the New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Unit, which is made up of detectives tasked with investigating sexually-based offenses.
The season 26 finale airs Thursday, May 15 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. It will be available to stream on Peacock the next day.
