Law & Order: SVU Starring Mariska Hargitay Returns for Season 22

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit returns tonight, Thursday, November 12, for its 22nd season starring East Ender Mariska Hargitay.

The drama, which focuses on a small team of NYPD officers that deal with sex crimes, continues to tackle stories “ripped-from-the-headlines.” The premiere, “Guardians and Gladiators,” sees the team faced with a public increasingly distrustful of the police after arresting the wrong man for assault in Central Park. Showrunner Warren Leight told ET.com of the episode “All of the tension of the last few months comes into play very quickly. Did our squad react too quickly to his accuser? Did Benson profile? Did Fin want to make the arrest?”

Future episodes this season will see the return of beloved former star Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, who will return to the Law & Order franchise in the new Law & Order: Organized Crime. Another new series, Law & Order: Hate Crimes, is in development for the Peacock streaming service. The show was originally conceived for NBC proper, but executives felt the show wouldn’t be able to honestly portray its challenging themes (and strong language) on network television.

Watch Law & Order: SVU on NBC. Check out the trailer for the new season above.