Michael Parmelee/NBCThere's a new face in the SVU squad room and it's safe to say he's going to ruffle some feathers. When Law & Order: SVU returns for its new season on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. on NBC, Sgt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) will have her hands full with a case that hits close to home and Detective Dominick Carisi, Jr. (Peter Scanavino) joins the squad.
Carisi—or Sonny, if you ask him—is gruff and the furthest thing from the experienced and empathetic detective Benson requested. Seems he's been bounced around from borough to borough. Why? Well, you can see from the exclusive clip below.
Viewers will recall Benson became the foster mother to baby Noah at the end of season 15 and the year kicks off with a case that ties directly into how Benson came to be Noah's guardian. Amaro (Danny Pino) is now a beat cop in Queens and arrests an underage prostitute with connections to Noah's birth mother. Amaro goes undercover and his actions put everybody—even Noah—in danger.
It's a new year and new Benson.
"I love [Benson] more now than ever...I love her because I am challenged by her," Hargitay recently told reporters on set of Law & Order: SVU . "I never know what's going to happen. She surprises me. [Warren Leight, showrunner] surprises me. This character has evolved, which is the most exciting part of it. I feel in many ways she's a new character because she's gone through so much that has truly transformed her."
Law & Order: SVU premieres Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. on NBC
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