Warning! Spoilers ahead for Law & Order: SVU season 26 premiere.Olivia Benson’s new team has just been introduced in Law & Order: SVU Season 26, but the premiere already set up one member to leave. It’s been years since Benson became the captain of the Manhattan office’s Special Victims Unit, but this is the first time she’s been given an expanded roster of subordinates that could, hopefully, make their job easier. Not that their effectiveness as a team dips when they’re undermanned, but it’s better overall for Benson and Law & Order: SVU Season 26’s story to have a solid ensemble around Mariska Hargitay’s TV hero.
As the longest-running scripted series on the air, Law & Order: SVUs ensemble has seen a lot of changes in over two decades. Of all the characters introduced in the earliest years, Only two remain – Benson and Ice-T’s Fin Tutuola. Chris Meloni’s Elliot Stabler is also back in the franchise, but spearheading a different series, Law & Order: Organized Crime. Because of this, cast changes are nothing new for Wolf Entertainment’s arguably flagship series. That said, it’s still disappointing that Benson’s Law & Order: SVU Season 26’s team will eventually change, as suggested in the premiere.
Carrie is still part of Benson’s team on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 (but she won’t be moving on)
Benson officially only has four members on her Law & Order: SVU Season 26 team
Based on these Law & Order: SVU Season 26 premiere, “Fractured,” Benson has five members on her team: Fin, Octavio Pisano’s Joe Velasco, Kevin Kane’s Terry Bruno, Aime Donna Kelly’s Renee Curry, and their newest member, Juliana Aidén Martinez’s Kate Silva. The outing opened with Hargitay’s captain arranging a short gun-range meeting so the squad could bond. But it is cut off when they are called for a case. Throughout the episode, all members of Benson’s team are given their respective roles and everyone seems to get along.
In the Law & Order: SVU season 26 opener, Carrie is still active on the job, but as revealed by Hargitay’s behind-the-scenes image in August 2024, she only has Finn, Velasco, Bruno, and Silva in her official lineup – Up.
That said, a previously released roster for the Manhattan SVU reveals that Curry isn’t really going to stay with the team for long. For context, she started working with Benson in season 25 until she decided to officially join the Elite Squad. in the Law & Order: SVU Season 26 opener, Kerry is still active at work, but as revealed by Hargitays behind-the-scenes picture in August 2024, she only has Finn, Velasco, Bruno and Silva in her official line-up. This means that in the next couple of episodes, Kerry will have to make special victims.
How Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Can Write Carrie
Carrie’s exit can give you a better fate or a tragic one
Although she is a fairly new member of the team, losing Carrie will still have a big impact on Benson and her subordinates. It is difficult to say when and how she will leave, but the official Law & Order: SVU NBC’s 26th season flyer reveals that Kelly will not be part of the core cast. There are several possible options of how it can be written out, however.
As tragic as it may be, Carrie could be injured during a call or a victim herself, resulting in her stint with SVU being cut short.
for starters, Kerry may decide to move on from Special Victims to a better job. It’s worth noting that she technically ranks as a captain, meaning she can spearhead her own squad. Second, she may also be at the center of a case. As tragic as it may be, Carrie could be injured during a call or a victim herself, resulting in her stint with SVU being cut short. Of course, the latter option is heavier, but it works Law & Order: SVU Season 26 an interesting story to tackle.
Source: Mariska Hargitay/ Instagram