"Losses and changes"

'Law & Order: SVU': Changes For New Season Premiere Revealed

Law & Order: SVU's upcoming season premiere isn't as set in stone as was once thought. Season 22, which premieres on Nov. 12, was expected to welcome the return of Christopher Meloni's "Stabler" and see "Carisi" (Peter Scanavino) and "Benson" (Mariska Hargitay) take on "Sir Tobias Moore" (Ian McShane) in court. But now, showrunner Warren Leight has offered new information on what's to come in the premiere. Read on to learn the new details.

Law & Order: SVU's season 22 premiere just got a lot less predictable!

Over the past few months, expectations were built about what was to come in the premiere of the new SVU season. But now, with a Nov. 12 premiere date in sight, showrunner Warren Leight has cast doubt on a few key plots that were expected to feature in the premiere. Based on his new comments, the "Stabler" reunion and prosecution of "Sir Tobias Moore" will have to wait until later in season 22.

Law & Order: SVU season 22 premiere news: "Stabler" reunion?

Previously, it was revealed that "Stabler" (Christopher Meloni) would return for the premiere of SVU season 22 before launching his own new series, Law & Order: Organized Crime — which was to follow SVU's time slot on NBC. But upon the release of NBC's Fall 2020 TV line-up, Organized Crime was pushed to 2021 and a "mid-season" premiere.

As a result, Leight on Twitter appeared to confirm that "Stabler" won't be seen on SVU until 2021. "These days all plans are subject to change. And then they change again. And again," he wrote on Aug. 27. "For now, we won't reintroduce Stabler until the night of his Organized Crime premiere."

The SVU showrunner continued his fan interactions on Sept. 1, adding that villain "Sir Tobias Moore" (Ian McShane) will not head to trial in the premiere either. So, yet another cliffhanger from season 21 won't be at the centre of SVU's return this fall.

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Law & Order: SVU: New season premiere to have "losses and changes"

Leight has shut down a few of the expected directions for the new season premiere. But he did offer a hint at what's to come: "A lot has happened since we shut down, in New York, and in our country," he wrote. "First few eps will see our squad grappling with many of the losses and changes and challenges we're all going through at this moment."

This statement aligns with Leight's earlier comments about SVU and the writers' plan to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement on the show. The delay of "Stabler's" return and Organized Crime is no doubt a disappointment for SVU fans, but a little uncertainty about the new season — and potential "losses" — has already added a new element of suspense to the premiere.