# List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes (season 20–present)
This list covers the episodes of *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (SVU), the NBC police procedural created by [Dick Wolf](https://www.edgepedia.org/dick-wolf) that investigates sexually based offenses in New York City, from season 20 (2018–19) through the seasons now airing. The season 20 episode table below is complete; later seasons are summarized from the most detailed evidence available for each.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Season 20 run | Premiered September 27, 2018; concluded May 16, 2019; 24 aired episodes, and no unaired episode belonged to Season 20[1](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/SVU_Season_20) • [13](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/7323295882704556112/seasons/20) |
| Season 20 numbering | Episodes 20.01 through 20.24 correspond to overall episodes #435 through #458 of the series[1](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/SVU_Season_20) |
| Season 24 size | Season 24 lists 22 episodes on NBC's episode guide[2](https://www.nbc.com/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/episodes/season-24) • [15](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-720ef5c1-fc77-4924-98c5-491455a06895) |
| Series scale through season 27 | 574 aired episodes, fourth among primetime scripted series behind *The Simpsons* (791), *Gunsmoke* (635), and *Lassie* (591)[3](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/3-shows-with-a-lot-of-episodes-that-yes-are-still-on-and-where-to-binge-them) |
| Season 27 milestone | Michele Fazekas became the series' first-ever female showrunner[4](https://time.com/7320572/law-and-order-svu-michele-fazekas/) |
| Season 28 | Premieres October 8, 2026, 9–10 p.m. on NBC, billed by the network as the longest-running scripted primetime series in television history[5](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/nbc-sets-fall-premiere-dates-2026-27-season) |
| Where to stream | Hulu hosts the entire original run of seasons 1–20; Peacock carries the show from season 1 to recent seasons[6](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/want-to-cancel-peacock-after-its-price-rise-but-cant-live-without-law-and-order-heres-where-you-can-stream-the-nbc-show) |
## Season 20 (2018–19)
The twentieth season premiered on NBC on September 27, 2018 and concluded on May 16, 2019, with 24 episodes[1](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/SVU_Season_20). The premiere opened with a two-part story, "Man Up" and "Man Down", airing the same night; [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide)'s synopsis describes a case in which an assaulted adolescent boy, Sam Conway, refuses to name his rapist, and the trial collapses when he will not testify against his father[1](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/SVU_Season_20) • [7](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/episodes-season-20/1000841483/). [Philip Winchester](https://www.edgepedia.org/philip-winchester), who had joined the cast in season 19, played Assistant District Attorney Peter Stone for the last time this season[1](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/SVU_Season_20) • [8](https://epguides.com/lawandordersvu/).
| # | Overall # | Title | Production # | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.01 | 435 | Man Up | 20001 | 27 September 2018 |
| 20.02 | 436 | Man Down | 20004 | 27 September 2018 |
| 20.03 | 437 | Zero Tolerance | 20002 | 4 October 2018 |
| 20.04 | 438 | Revenge | 20003 | 11 October 2018 |
| 20.05 | 439 | Accredo | 20005 | 18 October 2018 |
| 20.06 | 440 | Exile | 20006 | 25 October 2018 |
| 20.07 | 441 | Caretaker | 20007 | 1 November 2018 |
| 20.08 | 442 | Hell's Kitchen | 20008 | 8 November 2018 |
| 20.09 | 443 | Mea Culpa | 20009 | 15 November 2018 |
| 20.10 | 444 | Alta Kockers | 20010 | 29 November 2018 |
| 20.11 | 445 | Plastic | 20011 | 10 January 2019 |
| 20.12 | 446 | Dear Ben | 20012 | 17 January 2019 |
| 20.13 | 447 | A Story of More Woe | 20013 | 31 January 2019 |
| 20.14 | 448 | Part 33 | 20014 | 7 February 2019 |
| 20.15 | 449 | Brothel | 20015 | 14 February 2019 |
| 20.16 | 450 | Facing Demons | 20016 | 21 February 2019 |
| 20.17 | 451 | Missing | 20017 | 14 March 2019 |
| 20.18 | 452 | Blackout | 20018 | 21 March 2019 |
| 20.19 | 453 | Dearly Beloved | 20019 | 4 April 2019 |
| 20.20 | 454 | The Good Girl | 20020 | 11 April 2019 |
| 20.21 | 455 | Exchange | 20021 | 25 April 2019 |
| 20.22 | 456 | Diss | 20022 | 2 May 2019 |
| 20.23 | 457 | Assumptions | 20023 | 9 May 2019 |
| 20.24 | 458 | End Game (season finale) | 20024 | 16 May 2019 |
[1](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/SVU_Season_20)
A twenty-fifth episode, "Cooked" (production 20025), was produced but never aired within the season's run[1](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/SVU_Season_20).
### Guest stars in season 20
Season 20 drew several notable guest appearances. [Ethan Slater](https://www.edgepedia.org/ethan-slater), later known for Broadway's *SpongeBob SquarePants* and the *Wicked* films, played a villain in the season's fourth episode in 2018[9](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/after-law-and-order-svu-revisited-ethan-slater-performance-cant-wait-wicked). [Snoop Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoop-dogg) appeared in "Diss" (season 20, episode 22) as P.T. Banks, a veteran rap mogul involved in a violent feud[10](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/in-the-criminal-justice-system-these-15-law-and-order-svu-celebrity-cameos-are-considered-especially-unhinged-from-robin-williams-to-martin-short).
## Seasons 21 through 24
From season 21 onward, SVU's episode counts and structure shifted with its continuing run. A guide covering the series through season 26 counts 551+ episodes overall[8](https://epguides.com/lawandordersvu/). Season 24, as listed on NBC's own episode guide, ran 22 episodes;[15](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-720ef5c1-fc77-4924-98c5-491455a06895) its spring 2023 installments included "Bend the Law" (S24E19, aired 04/27/23), "Debatable" (S24E20, 05/04/23), "Bad Things" (S24E21, 05/11/23), and the finale "All Pain Is One Malady" (S24E22, 05/18/23), in which Benson and Stabler combine forces on a global revenge-for-hire case[2](https://www.nbc.com/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/episodes/season-24).
The cast roster changed across this stretch: per the series' credits guide, [Kelli Giddish](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelli-giddish) played Det. [Amanda Rollins](https://www.edgepedia.org/amanda-rollins) in seasons 13–24 before returning in 27, [Peter Scanavino](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-scanavino) moved from Det. to ADA Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr. from season 16 onward, and Christopher Meloni, a series regular in seasons 1–12, returned as a recurring presence from season 22 onward[8](https://epguides.com/lawandordersvu/).
## Seasons 25 to the present
By season 27 the show continued on NBC with new leadership: Michele Fazekas, who had first worked as a writer and producer on SVU in the early 2000s before departing in 2006, returned as the series' first-ever female showrunner[4](https://time.com/7320572/law-and-order-svu-michele-fazekas/). Season 27 wrapped in June 2026 with a finale titled "Monster", written by Fazekas and directed by Brenna Malloy[11](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/one-mariska-hargitay-scene-law-and-order-svus-season-27-finale-marked-full-circle-moment-for-director).
The twenty-eighth season is scheduled to premiere on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 9 p.m., followed by the original *Law & Order* at 10 p.m.; NBC's scheduling announcement describes SVU as the longest-running scripted primetime series in television history[5](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/nbc-sets-fall-premiere-dates-2026-27-season).
**Pulls from the schedule.** One episode has been withheld in this era: an installment titled "Corrosive", in which [Timothy Busfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/timothy-busfield), known for *The West Wing* and *thirtysomething*, was set to appear as a judge, was pulled after criminal charges against the guest star. This was the second time an SVU episode had been pulled from the schedule; the first was season 18's "Unstoppable", which had been inspired by sexual misconduct allegations against Donald Trump[12](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/nbc-is-pulling-an-upcoming-law-and-order-svu-episode-following-criminal-charges-against-a-guest-star). Busfield had earlier appeared in season 13's "Russian Brides" and directed single episodes in season 20 ("Facing Demons") and season 21 ("Down Low In Hell's Kitchen")[12](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/nbc-is-pulling-an-upcoming-law-and-order-svu-episode-following-criminal-charges-against-a-guest-star).
## Streaming availability
Streaming access is split across services. Hulu hosts the entire original run, seasons 1–20, and Peacock carries the series from season 1 through recent seasons[6](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/want-to-cancel-peacock-after-its-price-rise-but-cant-live-without-law-and-order-heres-where-you-can-stream-the-nbc-show). Season 20 itself streams on Peacock, which lists each episode with its runtime and synopsis[13](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/7323295882704556112/seasons/20). Third-party navigators such as epguides and TheTVDB maintain titles and airdates for all seasons[8](https://epguides.com/lawandordersvu/) • [14](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/allseasons/official).
## References
1. [SVU Season 20, Law and Order Fandom](https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/SVU_Season_20)
2. [Law & Order: SVU Season 24 Episodes, NBC.com](https://www.nbc.com/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/episodes/season-24)
3. [3 shows with a lot of episodes that (yes) are still on and where to binge them, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/3-shows-with-a-lot-of-episodes-that-yes-are-still-on-and-where-to-binge-them)
4. [SVU's First Female Showrunner on What'll Be Different This Time Around, TIME](https://time.com/7320572/law-and-order-svu-michele-fazekas/)
5. [NBC Sets Fall Premiere Dates for 2026-27 Season, NBCUniversal Media](https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/nbc-sets-fall-premiere-dates-2026-27-season)
6. [Where you can stream the NBC show, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/want-to-cancel-peacock-after-its-price-rise-but-cant-live-without-law-and-order-heres-where-you-can-stream-the-nbc-show)
7. [Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 20 Episode Guide, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/episodes-season-20/1000841483/)
8. [Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (a Titles & Air Dates Guide), epguides](https://epguides.com/lawandordersvu/)
9. [After Law And Order: SVU Revisited Ethan Slater's Chilling Performance, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/after-law-and-order-svu-revisited-ethan-slater-performance-cant-wait-wicked)
10. [In the criminal justice system, these 15 'Law & Order: SVU' celebrity cameos are considered especially unhinged (from Robin Williams to Martin Short)](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/in-the-criminal-justice-system-these-15-law-and-order-svu-celebrity-cameos-are-considered-especially-unhinged-from-robin-williams-to-martin-short)
11. [One of Mariska Hargitay's Scenes In SVU's Season 27 Finale Marked A Full-Circle Moment, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/one-mariska-hargitay-scene-law-and-order-svus-season-27-finale-marked-full-circle-moment-for-director)
12. [NBC Is Pulling An Upcoming Law And Order: SVU Episode Following Criminal Charges Against A Guest Star, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/nbc-is-pulling-an-upcoming-law-and-order-svu-episode-following-criminal-charges-against-a-guest-star)
13. [Watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 20 Streaming Online, Peacock](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/7323295882704556112/seasons/20)
14. [Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Aired Order - All Seasons, TheTVDB](https://www.thetvdb.com/series/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/allseasons/official)
15. [Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Watch Full Episodes, Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-720ef5c1-fc77-4924-98c5-491455a06895)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Installment collections and reference › Scripted live-action episode lists › Live-action episode lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license