Fans of Law & Order are in for a longer wait, as it turns out both shows won’t be airing this September!
Usually, it takes a while for serious news of the fall NBC season to reach viewers. However, the network is moving a bit earlier than usual, announcing its fall 2026 schedule. While many shows will debut in September (mostly game shows and reality series), a few notable ones won’t premiere until October or even November.
That includes Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as season 28 will premiere Thursday, October 8, at 9/8c. That will be followed by Law & Order season 26 at its new timeslot of 10/9c. The night will begin with The Traitors at 8/7c. It's a notable shift, as traditionally, the mothership Law & Order has served as the lead-in for SVU. NBC perhaps hopes shifting the former to a later timeslot may help its ratings rather than starting it at 8/7c.
Law & Order isn’t alone in a late premiere, as October 7 sees the return of the One Chicago franchise, and a few other shows won’t be airing until late October or even November. It may seem off to hold the premieres back, although it has become more standard for networks to delay seasons until October.
Historically, SVU has premiered in the last week of September. A couple of exceptions included 2020, when season 22 didn’t air until November due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, season 25 premiered in January of 2024 due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes. Still, holding until early October is a change for the series.
There are various reasons, such as NBC may prefer to wait for the initial rush of other network premieres to pass. Both Law & Order shows have to compete with strong slates from CBS and ABC, not to mention Thursday Night Football. There’s also the MLB playoffs unfolding at the same time, which can rob attention. Thus, waiting until early October gets more eyes on the shows.
Another reason is economics, as it’s already been made clear NBC is trying to manage costs better. Both SVU and the mothership Law & Order will likely see cast members absent from episodes to cut salary costs and perhaps have fewer episodes per season. It may also be a good idea to film as many episodes as they can, just in case something disrupts the season (like, say, a pandemic) and NBC needs to load up on more episodes.
So, fans have to wait until October to see the return of Law & Order on Thursdays, but the wait should be worth it.
Law & Order: SVU season 28 premieres Thursday, October 8 at 9/8c followed by Law & Order season 26 on NBC.
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