Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is currently in Season 17, which is a ridiculous number that can’t possibly be true. Part of the reason the series has survived so long is the long list of characters that fans get attached to, even though they’re likely to be replaced down the line. However, they don’t always stay gone. One fan favorite character will be making his SVU return later this season. The doctor is in.
B.D. Wong will be making a guest appearance this November, reprising his role as SVU resident head shrinker Dr. George Huang. Wong began his tenure on the series way back in Season 2 as a recurring character before getting his name in the credits beginning in Season 4 and running until Season 12. The only problem for Olivia Benson and company is that Huang may not exactly be one of the good guys this time around.
According to TV Guide, he will be called as a witness for the defense in a case that will hearken back to the 300th episode of the series. (Seriously, Episode 300 was relatively a long time ago.) The case deals with a child abductor, played by Tom Sizemore, who is finally going to trial after substantial delays. Why Dr. Huang is being called by the defense is not clear, but it's probably because it’s fall sweeps and they really want you to watch.
B.D. Wong hasn’t made an appearance on SVU since Season 15, and since then he’s made appearances on NBC’s Awake (which didn’t last long) and USA’s Mr.Robot. This also marks the second old role that Wong has dusted off this year, as he returned to the role of Dr. Henry Wu in this past summer’s Jurassic World. He turned out to not be as nice a guy in that one, too.
The various Law & Order series have seen a number of different psychiatrist characters over the many seasons of their many iterations. It’s probably the first place many viewers remember seeing J.K. Simmons, as Dr. Emil Skoda, prior to him going on to star in superhero movies and win Oscars. They often play a sort of moral center to the show, as their goal is to help people who have serious problems; sometimes this means sending them to jail, while other times it means getting them to a hospital. This has the result in making them allies to the cops one week and antagonists the next. Special Victims Unit hasn’t really seen a similar character consistently since Wong left, so maybe it’s a good time to bring him back.
The return of George Huang will air sometime in November, so keep your eyes open if you’re looking forward to seeing him again. Law & Order: SVU is expected to continue to air on NBC on Wednesday nights until the sun implodes.
