LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: Warren Leight Set to Return as Showrunner

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT will have a familiar face returning for the upcoming 21st season: Warren Leight.

Leight previously ran the drama from 2011-2016. He exited for an overall deal at Sony, but returned back to the L&O fold in 2018 to develop LAW & ORDER: HATE CRIMES. (HATE CRIMES, which was supposed to be introduced in SVU season 20, was pushed.)

During Leight’s original tenure with SVU, he oversaw the show’s biggest shake-up at the start of season 13: original co-star Chris Meloni exited and Kelli Giddish and Danny Pino joined the drama in what was dubbed SVU 2.0. He was also nominated for an Image Award—along with co-writer Julie Martin—in 2015.

The 21st season is a historically significant one: currently, SVU is tied with LAW & ORDER and GUNSMOKE as the longest-running live-action primetime drama (in terms of seasons); next year gives SVU sole possession of the lead.

The milestone season is set to star Mariska Hargitay (who has been with the drama from the start), Ice T, Giddish, and Peter Scanavino.

Current SVU showrunner Michael Chernuchin will remain in the extended universe’s family, a source confirms.

In addition to Leight, LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS is executive produced by Dick Wolf, Martin, Hargitay, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski.

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, Thursdays, 10/9c, NBC

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