NBCLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit fans may be feeling a bit disappointed this week, as they’ve been forced to go without a new episode – but there’s a simple reason SVU has been delayed.
The long-running, binge-worthy TV show is currently on its 26th season, with Captain Olivia Benson and her trusty crew continuing to put sick and twisted criminals behind bars.
In Episode 17, as per NBC’s official synopsis, “Carisi attempts to put aside his role as prosecutor to serve as a witness in a trial and Benson tries to help a rape survivor struggling with her recovery.”
Here’s the thing: it should have aired last night, March 27, but viewers are being forced to wait a little while longer.
Law & Order: SVU Season 12 Episode 17 release date & delay explained
Law & Order SVU Season 26 Episode 17 will be released on April 3 on NBC. It will air at its usual time, 9pm ET, and you’ll be able to stream it the next day on Peacock.
While NBC hasn’t outright confirmed why the new episode of SVU was pushed back, it appears it was an effort to strengthen the ratings and attract new viewers to one of its other shows: Suits LA.
The spinoff had a strong start (viewership-wise), amassing 4.7 million viewers after its first three days on Peacock. However, NBC hasn’t revealed any other figures – and given we’re five weeks into its debut season and it isn’t generating much conversation on social media (especially compared to the likes of Severance and The Pitt), it isn’t a good sign.
So, instead of a new SVU episode, NBC aired Episodes 4 and 5 of Suits LA back to back last night, perhaps in a bid to keep it fresh in people’s minds for the next episode this Sunday, March 30.
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Regardless, the show’s usual scheduling resumes next week, so don’t worry about any further delays.
In the meantime, keep tabs on the year’s releases with our 2025 TV show calendar and check out our list of the best TV shows of all time.