Skip to main content

Olivia Benson and Amanda Rollins are back together, again. Mariska Hargitay and Kelli Giddish recently reunited on the set of Law & Order: SVU. The pair were spotted on Sept. 12 in New York City filming an episode from the show’s upcoming 26th season. 

Kelli Giddish returns to ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ for season 26 

Mariska Hargitay and Kelli Giddish walking out of a building on the set of 'Law and Order: SVU' Season 26
Mariska Hargitay and Kelli Giddish on the set of the ‘Law & Order: SVU’ on Sept. 12, 2024, in New York City | Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Giddish, who plays Rollins, was a regular on the NBC drama for years, but she left the series midway through season 24, when her character decided to become a criminology professor. She’s returned for several brief appearances since then, including in a May 2024 episode when it was revealed she was at loose ends since leaving her job at Fordham University. Giddish won’t be back as a series regular in season 26, but she will appear in multiple episodes. 

“She’s coming as a guest star, and she’s going to make a bunch of appearances throughout the season,” SVU showrunner and executive producer David Graziano told TVLine. “We’re really happy about it.”

Rollins takes a job with the NYPD intelligence unit in ‘SVU’ Season 26

Mariska Hargitay with her arm around Kelli Giddish on the set of 'Law and Order: SVU' Season 26
Kelli Giddish and Mariska Hargitay | Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

When fans see Rollins again in season 26, she’ll have a new job. The mom of three is now part of the NYPD’s intelligence unit, SVU executive producers told TVLine. 

That unit “is very different from the Intelligence Unit anywhere else, because the Intelligence Unit in New York has cops stationed in almost every country in the world,” Graziano said. “And so, Rollins is going to be traveling a lot as part of that job.

Rollins’ new role will require some juggling on the homefront. Her husband, Assistant District Attorney Dominick “Sonny” Carisi (Peter Scanavino), will be on solo parent duty while Rollins is abroad. 

Mariska Hargitay said she fought to keep Kelli Giddish on the show 

Kelli Giddish and Mariska Hargitay smiling at each other on the set of 'Law and Order: SVU' Season 26
Kelli Giddish and Mariska Hargitay | Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Related

‘SVU’ Star Mariska Hargitay Stepped Up to Help Solve Real-Life Crimes

Giddish’s return toSVU likely put a huge smile on Hargitay’s face. (Both are beaming in the recent photos from the show’s set.) The Emmy-winning actor has admitted that she was not happy when SVU creator Dick Wolf decided to write off Rollins in season 24. 

“Kelli is my favorite actor to work with,” Hargitay told Variety earlier this year. “Kelli is my heart. It’s a sore subject. I have a lot of say on the show, but I didn’t have enough there.”

Hargitay added that she was fighting to bring Giddish back for season 26. And it’s not just because the two enjoy working together so much. The SVU star says the friendship between Benson and Rollins is an important part of the show. 

“I don’t like not being listened to, especially when I’m right,” she said. “That relationship was one of the most powerful relationships in television because you saw these two badass women, so flawed and so there for each other.”

Law & Order: SVU Season 26 premieres Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.

Best in Entertainment