Spoilers ahead for Episode 8 of Law & Order: SVU Season 25, called "Third Man Syndrome."
All hands were on Law & Order: SVU this week, with Benson's' full squad putting in the work to get justice for a young man who was the victim of a brutal hate crime. The key witness was an agoraphobic woman, who Benson needed to talk into coming to the station to the close the case. Carisi had his part as well, and it was great to see all of the unit's resources in play without anybody missing, like Ice-T not too long ago. Still, seeing the team going all-out combined with the recent Season 26 renewal news had me thinking about a former SVU detective: Kelli Giddish's Amanda Rollins, whose return is on the way in Season 25.
Yes, Kelli Giddish will reprise her role as Amanda Rollins in the spring portion of the 2024 TV schedule. NBC Insider reports that the fan favorite will be back on Law & Order: SVU in the eleventh episode of Season 25. Given that SVU is currently on a break until Episode 9 on April 11, that likely means Giddish's return episode will air in the last week of April, barring another break. It's not too much longer before fans can get a fix of Amanda Rollins without turning to rewatching old episodes via Peacock Premium subscription or Hulu subscription.
This will mark her second appearance in Season 25, after she returned in the premiere with a Rollisi update in the form of the duo having their son baptized. At the time, I had mixed feelings since it seemed like SVU might have brought Giddish back just to introduce a new detective, but that hasn't been the case. That's not to say that there haven't been new additions since, with Captain Curry and FBI Agent Shannah Sykes joining and finally adding some more women to the unit that handles primarily crimes against women.
It's not clear just yet if Rollins will be back partly in a personal capacity, like she was for the baptism in the Season 25 premiere, or because she's pulled into a case somehow. Whatever the reason, I'm excited not only to see her back with Benson and Carisi, but hopefully see her reaction to Benson filling in the vacancies in the squad room. The only real bad news on the SVU front at this point is that the show is going into a mini hiatus for a few weeks.
On the plus side, the promo for the next episode reveals that it's going to be a special episode for Mariska Hargitay. Take a look:
Yes, Mariska Hargitay directed the episode that comes next in Season 25! This won't be her first time directing SVU, but after the episode she helmed last season was such a standout with The West Wing alum Bradley Whitford, I'm very optimistic about her episode in the milestone 25th season. Tune in to NBC on Thursday, April 11 at 9 p.m. ET for Mariska Hargitay's next episode of Law & Order: SVU as a director, and keep tuning in for Kelli Giddish's return as Amanda Rollins.
