Law & Order: SVU will return to its highly anticipated 27th season on September 25, 2025 on NBC, and star Ice-T has now revealed where fans will find his character, Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola, when the series returns. “In the first episode, something bad happens to me and I end up in the hospital,” says the rapper and actor, real name Tracy Lauren Marrow. “I wasn’t in the second episode, but I’m back in the third—they move us around.”
It’s unclear how, or why, Fin will end up in the hospital, but fans of the long-running show know it’s not the first – and probably won’t be the last – time that Fin finds himself injured. In past seasons, he has been shot and severely beaten.
Earlier this summer, Ice shared a behind-the-scenes moment of his character in hospital, giving fans insight into the realistic prosthetics and make-up he was sporting for the injuries, and joking that it was all “in the script”.
Later in the series, viewers will also see Fin attacked a second time, as he shared in July 2025 that he had been “elbowed in the face, and smashed through a wall” during filming for one particular episode.
Season 27 episode one will not just focus on Fin though as viewers will also see the return of Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins; Kelli joined the series in season 13 and left midway through season 24, however, she is now returning after outcry from fans.
Her departure was a decision made “from above” in the NBC hierarchy, and not one by Kelli or SVU showrunner David Graziano.
© Peter Kramer/NBC“You might take a moment to entertain the idea that things are more complex than they appear in a world of emojis and tweets. All I’ll say is Kelli has handled this with the most incredibly classy comportment,” David wrote in the comments section of Kelli’s Instagram post after he was bombarded with angry messages.
“She is, without a doubt, one of the finest industry professionals I’ve come across in my 24 years of writing television. I’m saddened by her looming exit. It’ll be my lucky day if I ever get to write for her again.”
© Virginia Sherwood/NBC“I’m in love with everybody on the show, so it’s good to be back with her,” Ice told People magazine of Kelli’s return, adding that the new season will also see “Kevin [Kane] and Aimée [Donna Kelly] as series regulars… so you know, we pass the buck around.”
“The thing about SVU is, we have no idea where it’s going,” he added. “Mariska [Hargitay] is a producer so she kind of knows where the boat’s being steered. But until we get a script, we don’t know.”
© Peter Kramer/NBCIce joined the series in 2000 during season two as a former narcotics detective, often working undercover. He left the division and moved to SVU (Special Victims Unit) when his partner took a bullet that was meant for him, and he realized he could not continue in his line of work.
Fin has become a beloved character, but on-screen has had a rocky relationship with Olivia Benson (played by Mariska), due to their differing views on justice. Fin has also rarely merged his personal and professional lives, and is known for his refusal to discuss, or even admit, his emotions around the job and the victims.
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