NBC is inching closer to the start of its 2026-27 network TV release schedule, which will include Law & Order: Special Victims Unit coming back for its 28th season. Holding the record for the longest-running primetime drama in network TV history, SVU continues to take on the most heinous criminals in the Big Apple, as this show’s core team focuses on sexually-based offenses on a weekly basis. While the cast has undergone major changes over the decades, Emmy winner and 2026 Emmys host Mariska Hargitay continues to lead the charge as NYPD Captain Olivia Benson.
Season 28 first kicked off production in July 2026, before NBC confirmed the new season would begin airing on Oct. 8, 2026. While no story details have been revealed, Kelli Giddish will be back in action alongside Hargitay as Sergeant Amanda Rollins, and Ice-T will return for a more full-time role as Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola after not appearing in every episode of Season 27. Now, as the new season gets set to begin its run, NBC has confirmed it will feature one of the biggest stars New York City has to offer.
First reported by Variety, NBC confirmed that New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson will make a guest appearance in the fifth episode of Law & Order: SVU Season 28, which debuts on Nov. 5, 2026. This will be the first time Brunson has appeared in a scripted TV series or movie, although his specific role has not yet been revealed.
Brunson is on top of the New York world after leading the Knicks to the 2026 NBA championship, the team’s first title since 1973. He is also known for his close friendship with SVU lead and longtime Knicks fan Mariska Hargitay, and both have pushed for him to join the series during and after the Knicks’ playoff run. The show’s social media pages celebrated the occasion by sharing a picture of Brunson with the cast on set, in which he dons an NYPD badge.
2026 was unquestionably the best year of Jalen Brunson’s career, as he filled his trophy case throughout the season. He was named to his third All-Star team and his third All-NBA second team and won the MVP awards for the NBA Cup, Eastern Conference Finals, and NBA Finals on his way to the championship. Hargitay also dominated social media with her attendance at Knicks games, often speaking to the media about her love for the team and her close friendship with Brunson. After both of them pushed for Brunson to join Hargitay for an episode on her show, it seemed almost inevitable that this would come to fruition.
Brunson marks the latest major name in sports to join the TV world, which also comes after he kicks off the TV season by hosting the Season 52 premiere of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 26. While he is only expected to star in one episode due to his busy NBA schedule, it should be one of the most-watched moments of the season, as the Knicks legend and his Knicks-obsessed friend join forces for an intense on-screen story.
Law & Order: SVU Season 28 begins airing on NBC on Oct. 8, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET
- Release Date
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September 20, 1999
- Network
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NBC
- Showrunner
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Michael S. Chernuchin, David Graziano
- Directors
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Jean de Segonzac, David Platt, Peter Leto, Alex Chapple, Juan José Campanella, Norberto Barba, Constantine Makris, Martha Mitchell, Arthur W. Forney, Michael Slovis, Steve Shill, Alex Zakrzewski, Michael Pressman, Helen Shaver, Mariska Hargitay, Michael Smith, Ted Kotcheff, Fred Berner, Jonathan Kaplan, Holly Dale, Jonathan Herron, Jud Taylor, Adam Bernstein, Jim McKay
- Writers
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Judith McCreary, David Graziano, Michael S. Chernuchin, Daniel Truly, Jonathan Greene, Amanda Green, Lisa Marie Petersen, Allison Intrieri, Lawrence Kaplow, Jose Molina, Matt Klypka, Michael R. Perry, Samantha Corbin-Miller, Barbie Kligman, Robert F. Campbell, Candice Sanchez McFarlane, Gwendolyn M. Parker, René Balcer, Robert Nathan, Wendy West, Speed Weed, Ryan Causey, Chris Brancato, Christos N. Gage
