This fall, Law & Order: SVU returns for its 26th season and Ice-T will be back as Odafin “Fin” Tutuola. Also joining him is Mariska Hargitay as Oliva Benson. While Hargitay has been around for all 26 seasons, Ice-T joined in season 2, so this will mark his 25th on the show. He also has a prediction about the police procedural.
Here is what Ice-T said about Law & Order: SVU and its future on TV.
Ice-T Predicts Law & Order SVU’s Future
Ice-T has been part of the Law & Order franchise for 25 years now. This means the 66-year-old actor/rapper has been part of the franchise since he was 41 and has spent a quarter of a century playing Fin. He isn’t ready to stop playing the character yet, either.
Ice-T is excited about Law & Order: SVU Season 26 and he feels the show could last until Season 30 — if not longer. I think the show will stay on as long as Mariska wants to do the show,” Ice-T said. “I think last season we caught a whole other wind of fans, and everybody got in it, and the ratings were great” He then said there is no reason it can’t go 30 seasons.
Mentioning the show lasting as long as Hargitay wants to be on it reminds fans of another long-running show. Many people felt that Grey’s Anatomy would run as long as Ellen Pompeo was willing to star on the show. Ever since she stepped back, the show has seemed to be winding down, with each season feeling more like the end is near.
Unlike Grey’s, which is struggling right now with ratings and cast turnover, Law & Order: SVU is still thriving.
As for Ice-T, he has continued to build his name in the mainstream world. While he started out as a hardcore rap star in his younger days, he is promoting a wider variety of products. This recent interview was done while he was promoting Raising Cane’s National Iced Tea Day, which Ice-T has partnered with in name and appearances.
Law & Order: SVU Planning Another Organized Crime Crossover?
Law & Order: SVU has even helped fans rediscover Elliot Stabler with the spinoff Law & Order: Organized Crime. It seemed that the show would end up canceled, but Paramount+ saved it and Hargitay said the two shows should still crossover.
As for Ice-T, he will mostly stick to his role in SVU, where he and Hargitay are the remaining faces from the original seasons of the show. There were rumors that Ice-T and Organized Crime star Christopher Meloni were feuding. This came from the thought Ice-T was jealous of the attention Meloni got when he returned. Both men squashed these rumors.
Are you excited to see Law & Order: SVU returning for more seasons? Do you think it will make it to Season 30? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Shawn S. Lealos has been a freelance writer for over 25 years and is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He is also a published author with a book about the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers.
