NBC was already generating buzz about Law & Order: SVU‘s 28th season before the premiere, largely due to the drama approaching its milestone 600th episode shortly after star Mariska Hargitay hosted the Emmy Awards. There are still several weeks to go before episode 600, however, and fans had every reason to believe they could at least look forward to season 28 fixing one of its biggest mistakes from season 27. Unfortunately, that promise from the longest-running show in Dick Wolf’s TV universe was already broken in just the second episode of the season.
2:51
Of course, any show that runs for 600 episodes over three decades is going to deliver some seasons that are worse than others, and SVU rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way over the last several years when it came to casting changes. Kelli Giddish’s initial exit as Amanda Rollins hardly made any sense, not least because the character married the show’s main ADA in what was then her last episode as a series regular. The drama ultimately reversed that decision and brought Giddish back as a regular in season 27, but Rollins’ return caused more casting problems.
The drama couldn’t afford to keep both Giddish and Ice-T on board in every episode of season 27, and the longtime SVU star only appeared in 11 of the season’s 21 episodes. Viewers weren’t happy to suddenly see so much less of Fin, who has been by Benson’s side for longer than any other character in the Law & Order franchise. The issue was supposed to be addressed for NBC’s full fall 2026 schedule in a key way, but “Midway” proved that the promise won’t be kept for season 28.
SVU Was Supposed To Fix Its Season 27 Mistake
Fans of Law & Order: SVU got some good news about Fin’s future straight from Ice-T himself over the summer. Speaking with TMZ, the rapper/actor revealed that he was set to appear in every episode of the upcoming 28th season. His role in the season 28 premiere seemed indicative that the promise would be kept, even though the episode was more focused on Benson’s much-needed reckoning. It appeared that NBC and Wolf Entertainment had responded to viewers’ complaints and were fixing the mistake of cutting Ice-T’s episode count from season 27.
That impression changed almost immediately in episode 2, when nearly all hands were on deck in the Special Victims Unit. Rollins, Curry, Bruno, and Griffin were on the scene of a boy’s disappearance alongside Benson, but Fin was nowhere to be seen. Even when the boy’s tragic death moved the case to the squad room for the unit to interrogate their suspect, Fin didn’t appear behind a desk. It felt like season 27 all over again, with Ice-T missing all the action.
Related
Ice-T’s Law & Order: SVU Season 28 Return Revealed In BTS Image As Filming Begins
Ice-T confirms that filming for season 28 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is officially underway with a brand-new behind-the-scenes look.
Admittedly, the episode was centered on Curry more than the rest of the unit. She was connected to the family of the boy after he’d been the victim of sexual assault, and felt the burden of his mother’s despair after he was found dead. That said, everybody else got at least a moment or two to shine in the episode, and Fin could have easily fit into the ensemble. Instead, he was nowhere to be seen, and NBC has already contradicted the promise of a full season of Ice-T. It only took two episodes.
Ice-T recently revealed on Instagram that he’s in Los Angeles to film Snoop Dogg’s upcoming movie, but his presence in LA in mid-October wouldn’t have affected his role in season 28’s first couple of episodes. It remains to be seen if this film project will affect future episodes, and if Ice-T will be more absent throughout the season.
When Fin Will Be Back
Some good news about Fin’s future did technically come out of “Midway” on NBC, courtesy of what aired at the very end of the broadcast. Whatever the future holds for Ice-T’s episode count in season 28, he’s going to be back on screen sooner rather than later. He appears in the preview for the episode that will air on October 22, called “Anonymity.” Based on the footage, Fin will appear in at least three scenes.
NBC’s logline for “Anonymity” reveals that Kevin Kane’s character will be in the spotlight, since “Bruno’s determination to protect the victims pushes him to a breaking point.” That doesn’t mean Fin will spend the whole episode working at a desk in the background, however, and Benson will evidently have her right-hand man actually at her right hand for the next case.
Law & Order: SVU is NBC’s only Thursday night show to hold onto its usual time slot for the fall season. The cancellation of The Hunting Party opened up a primetime slot for The Traitors: New Blood to join the lineup, and Law & Order was moved to 10 p.m. ET. As usual, new episodes of Law & Order: SVU (with and without Ice-T) air on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.