“Law & Order”, “Law & Order: SVU” Return With Powerful New Seasons And Emotional First Look
Law & Order Thursdays are officially back, and it’s really all fans can ask for. PEOPLE got the exclusive first look at the trailer for the upcoming seasons of both Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU, which guarantee even more exciting stories and amazing performances from the favorite cast.
This trailer opens with a montage of many powerful moments from the two franchises, setting the stage. The scene features Mariska Hargitay’s character, Olivia Benson, warmly greeting a young woman in her precinct to start off the new season with emotion and intensity. “Hi, I’m Captain Benson. Can I help you?” Benson says during a scene in which teases SVU’s 26th season.
As the trailer continues, Mariska and fellow cast members weigh in on why these shows are so impactful. “Why do you think our shows resonate with audiences?” she asks Law & Order‘s Tony Goldwyn, who plays DA Nicholas Baxter. In his response, Tony nails it: “We both work on shows that are seeing our criminal justice system at work.
Ice-T, who plays Fin Tutuola, Olivia’s right-hand man, has a little insight of his own. “At first, I thought I was just on some regular old cop show, and then it started to sink in,” he admits to Peter Scanavino, who played the role of ADA Sonny Carisi.
The longer-than-long-time heart of SVU, Mariska reflects on the unique bond she has with the fans. “I’ve had the privilege of connecting on such a personal level,” she says, adding, “Having fans come up and say thank you for telling their story.”
As Olivia Benson, her compassion has reached so many lives, on- and offscreen.
The trailer also teases the new season’s cases, including a powerful moment of Olivia encouraging a survivor: “You’re gonna go in there and you’re gona tell him your truth. You’re gonna take your life back.”
Mehcad Brooks, who plays Detective Jalen Shaw, possibly put it best: “We’re doing something that’s more than just entertaining. We bring hope into people’s lives.”
This season also brings some new faces into the cast. Maura Tierney boards as Lt. Jessica Brady, an authority figure replacing Camryn Manheim’s Lt. Kate Dixon. Meanwhile Juliana Aidén Martinez will also join the ranks of SVU, playing Detective Kate Silva while bringing an even bigger passion to the show’s mission of telling women’s stories.
Odelya Halevi, who portrays fearless ADA Samantha Maroun, shares how this series has affected her personally: “I grew up watching the show, and it really empowered me,” she says.
As the trailer winds to a close, there’s a voiceover from Mariska standing in a ray of sun-that provides just the right closing message: “I think the show has shed a beautiful light because these crimes thrive in darkness. It’s the light that heals it,” she literally and figuratively sums up as what Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU have stood for all these years.
