Law And Order: SVU’s Latest Villain Just Played Her Fifth Character In The Franchise, And That’s Not Even A Record

Spoilers are ahead for Episode 13 of Law & Order: SVU in the 2026 TV schedule, called "Hubris" and available streaming with a Peacock subscription.

Law & Order: SVU has already entered another break this winter, but the final episode before weeks off featured a face that would be familiar to longtime fans of the franchise. Kate Burton played a criminal doctor by the name of Bethany Allen in "Hubris," which not only wasn't her first time opposite Mariska Hargitay, but was her fifth character in the Law & Order franchise. While seems like a wild number, Burton doesn't even hold a record for the most.

Kate Burton is also well known over on Grey's Anatomy for playing a character who has come back despite being killed off, but eagle-eyed Law & Order franchise fans will know her for another reason. Or five other reasons, depending on how dedicated of a fan you are! Take a look at her full list of characters, which includes a role she reprised over four episodes of four seasons of Law & Order:

• Law & Order: SVU Season 27, Episode 12: Dr. Bethany Allen (2026)
• Law & Order: SVU Season 12, Episode 18: Annette Cole (2011)
• Law & Order Seasons 12, 14, 15, 20: Defense Attorney Erica Gardner (2001 - 2009)
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 1, Episode 8: Stephanie Uffland (2001)
• Law & Order Season 2, Episode 17: Sister Bettina (1992)

"Hubris" wasn't so much a "Welcome to SVU!" for Kate Burton, but a "Welcome back!" Both Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T were series regulars for her first appearance in 2011, while Kelli Giddish was still a season away from debuting as Rollins and Peter Scanavino wouldn't arrive as Carisi until Season 14.

That said, it's not rare for actors to appear in multiple episodes of the Law & Order world as multiple characters. After all, this is a franchise that has run for more than 1,400 episodes at the time of writing, going back more than 30 years and accumulating 70 seasons – yes, 70 – across seven different shows. Of course there have been repeats! In fact, Maria Dizzia was another guest from the "Hubris" episode of SVU, and she'd appeared as two more characters in Law & Order and then another in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Now, I can't claim to be an expert on every guest across 1,400 episodes and 70 seasons, but I do know that there are more than 30 actors who went on to become TV stars with multiple Law & Order franchise characters to their name. Here are just a few:

• Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal: 4 characters
• Stranger Things' David Harbour: 5 characters
• The Handmaid's Tale's Ann Dowd: 9 characters

For good measure, it's even worth looking at stars who started out in the franchise as random one-off guest characters, only to come back as series regulars to play totally different characters. Check out who started as guests and ended up as regulars:

• Kelli Giddish: SVU
• Peter Scanavino: SVU
• Camryn Manheim: Law & Order
• Diane Neal: SVU
• Raúl Esparza: SVU
• Mehcad Brooks: Law & Order
• Jeremy Sisto: Law & Order
• S. Epatha Merkerson: Law & Order
• Jerry Orbach: Law & Order
• Kevin Kane: SVU
• Jeffrey Donovan: Law & Order
• Anthony Anderson: Law & Order
• Tony Goldwyn: Law & Order
• Rick Gonzalez: Organized Crime
• Michael Trotter: Organized Crime
• Dean Norris: Organized Crime

All of this is to say that it can be fun to head on over to IMDb after episodes of SVU (or Law & Order) to see if guest stars have appeared elsewhere in the franchise before. As for actors... well, let it not be said that playing one person will stop you from coming back in a much bigger role! Still, I got a particular kick out of Kate Burton in the latest episode of SVU, since I strongly associate her with Ellis Grey on Grey's Anatomy in addition to her five Law & Order characters.

Law & Order: SVU will return to NBC with new episodes starting on February 26, after the 2026 Winter Olympics wrap up. You can revisit earlier episodes streaming on Peacock or via a Hulu subscription.