Law & Order: SVU soon returns in the fall 2025 TV schedule for Season 27, which means the returns of two actors who have been part of NBC's lineup for more than a quarter century: Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T, who hold the #1 and #2 spots of actors to appear in the most episodes of the franchise. Ice-T, who has been playing Odafin "Fin" Tutuola since SVU Season 2 in 2000, has opened up about the wider Dick Wolf TV universe and what can happen if an actor is killed off. I'm just counting on SVU never delivering that kind of twist for Fin!
The SVU cast is changing for Season 27, with the departures of Octavio Pisano as Velasco and Juliana Aidén Martinez as Silva as series regulars, as well as the long-awaited return of Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins. Pisano is coming back for at least one last episode, hopefully not for Velasco to be killed off! Speaking with EW, Ice-T shared a surprisingly optimistic take about what can happen for an actor even after being killed or written out:
I know when [Christopher Meloni] left, that was his choice. He went off to do movies and stuff, and he ended up coming back and doing Organized Crime. The cool thing about the Wolf universe is, you could die on SVU and come back on Chicago Fire, you know? So as long as you stay on Dick Wolf's good side, you'll probably be employed.
Ice-T must be on Dick Wolf's very good side, as he's currently the longest-running cast member in the Law & Order franchise behind Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson. That's not to say that his character has it easy in the Special Victims Unit, however, and Ice-T shared a photo of Fin all "Fd up" for the Season 27 premiere. Based on further comments to EW, the sergeant might not be able to shake off his injuries too quickly. He said:
I show up this season in the first episode. I get my ass beaten and end up in the hospital. So I'm like, what the f--- is going on? ... I wasn't in the second episode. I come back in the third episode, but you really don't know. The people that are doing that show, it's an ensemble cast, and they move us around.
Fear not, fellow SVU fans – Fin ending up in the hospital to start Season 27 doesn't mean that he'll be MIA for too long, and I actually wonder if the character being temporarily out of commission will be what brings Rollins in. I've been wondering about how Special Victims will function with two sergeants after Rollins was promoted in her return to the NYPD.
I may have to wait until SVU returns in September for the answer to that particular question, but I'm feeling pretty good about Fin's future. Ice-T went on the record a few years back that he didn't "have any plans of going anywhere," and more recently said that he doesn't "see any reason why SVU can't go 30" seasons, as long as Mariska Hargitay wants to keep playing Olivia Benson.
The actor certainly isn't wrong about actors finding homes on other shows in the Dick Wolf TV world even if they're written out of their first. In fact, Juliana Aidén Martinez was cut from SVU after just one season with Ice-T and Co., but has been cast as a new series regular over on CBS' FBI. Kathleen Munroe's character was killed off of FBI, only for her to bring a new character to Law & Order: Organized Crime and soon debut as the new star of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.
And that's not even to mention all of the actors who have played more than one character on SVU, including Kelli Giddish and Peter Scanavino. There are plenty of examples across SVU and the other installments in the franchise. All in all, I can't say that I can imagine Ice-T playing a different character within the Wolf universe any more than I could see it for Mariska Hargitay or Christopher Meloni, but hopefully that won't be something to worry about. Long live Fin, as far as I'm concerned!
Tune in to NBC on Thursday, September 25 at 9 p.m. ET for the Season 27 premiere of Law & Order: SVU, following the Season 25 premiere of Law & Order at 8 p.m. ET. You can also revisit earlier episodes of the shows streaming with a Peacock subscription and/or a Hulu subscription.
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