In the wake of Law & Order: SVU getting a confirmed premiere date for later in the 2024 TV schedule, fans are in for some fresh news about the cast. Not only has one actor finally received the long-awaited official promotion to series regular status, but an alum of Netflix's Griselda is on board. That said, the newcomer's casting has me asking all over again: what's up with the female characters of SVU? (Other than Mariska Hargitay, of course.)
Kevin Kane Promoted To Series Regular
Kevin Kane joined the cast of SVU back in the BX9 gang three-parter of Season 24 as Bronx SVU Detective Bruno, and he ultimately joined the Manhattan SVU to work with Benson, Fin, and Co. After recurring in the second half of Season 24 and appearing in almost every episode of Season 25, Kane may have already seemed like a series regular, if not for the fact that the opening credits as of the finale still only featured Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, and Octavio Pisano.
No more! Deadline reports that Kevin Kane is on board SVU Season 26 as a series regular. I've been a fan of Kane as Bruno ever since he debuted as one of the show's three newcomers in 2023, particularly for his dynamic with Fin, so I see it as only a good thing to have the guarantee that he'll be around full time starting this fall. If that involves more banter with Fin, all the better!
But thinking about the other two newcomers of Kane's inaugural year combined with the other casting news ahead of Season 26 has me thinking about one of SVU's less consistent threads in recent seasons: the women in Benson's unit, with no indication that the two main actresses from Season 25 other than Mariska Hargitay will be back.
What's Up With The Women Of SVU?
Let's start with the good news! Juliana Aidén Martinez, who is likely best known for her role in Netflix's Griselda opposite Sofia Vergara, has been cast to play a new detective in Law & Order: SVU's 26th season. She isn't listed as a new series regular, so it remains to be seen how much of a role Martinez has when SVU returns in October, and no details are available at the time of writing about what sets her character apart. After the shortened Season 25, I for one am excited to see what the actress brings to the cast.
And that excitement is heightened by the fact that SVU's track record with female characters other than Olivia Benson has been inconsistent in recent years, starting with the exit of Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins. While Giddish has appeared as a guest star since her exit in the first half of Season 24, the show hasn't established a new long-term woman in Special Victims alongside Benson, so I can only be hopeful about Martinez in Season 26.
New Season 24 regular Molly Burnett was written out in that year's finale after just one season as Detective Muncy, and Churlish – played by Jasmine Batchelor – wasn't brought back for Season 25 either. Then, Amber Skye Noyes' Detective Parrish seemed set up for an arc in early Season 25, which didn't happen.
Then, Benson bent the rules to bring Captain Curry (Aimé Donna Kelly) into Special Victims after working in IAB and recruited FBI Agent Shannah Sykes (Jordana Spiro), and I was so happy to have more women in Special Victims that I was more than willing to suspend my disbelief... until Kelli Giddish's return reminded me of what SVU lost with Rollins' exit, anyway.
And the reason why I've been going on about SVU needing more women since Muncy was written out back in spring 2023 is that this is a show that primarily deals with violence against women and children. As the captain, Benson naturally doesn't have her boots on the ground as much for victims to disclose to her, and I just feel like there would be less disbelief to suspend if there was at least one more woman in the unit alongside Fin, Velasco, and now Bruno.
Maybe the woman who sticks around will be Juliana Aidén Martinez in her new role for Season 26, which would be fine by me. Sure, it would be great to get Kelli Giddish back as Rollins, but some fresh blood in a show that has been running for more than a quarter century is a good thing, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the actress brings to SVU after her work in Griselda.
Law & Order: SVU returns to NBC on Thursday, October 3 in its usual 9 p.m. ET time slot following Law & Order at 8 p.m. ET. This fall, however, the 10 p.m. ET slot will be filled by Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Found due to Law & Order: Organized Crime being moved to stream for Peacock Premium subscribers. If you want to revisit some older episodes of SVU in the wait for October, you can find all 25 seasons so far streaming on Peacock as well.
