Law & Order: SVU Season 26 release schedule — When does every episode drop and how to watch them?

Let the frenzy begin for Law & Order: SVU, which has enjoyed 25 seasons. With season 26 coming, excitement levels cannot get higher. It has dominated Thursday nights with over two decades of drama and many memorable characters, most notably Mariska Hargitay's Captain Olivia Benson.

The new season brings more episodes as the New York City Special Victims Unit fights against the city's most serious crimes. Below, we look at the new season's drop schedule, when each episode will be released, and all the information on how and where to catch the latest.

We will also talk about a recent admission by Mariska Hargitay regarding the extent to which acting Olivia Benson has affected her personally. It has shed new light on her relationship with the character she plays.

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When will the new Law & Order: SVU episodes be released?

Law & Order: SVU airs the first season 26 episodes on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at 9/8c on NBC. It will then settle into its regular Thursday time slot with new episodes every week.

Below is the release schedule for the season’s episodes:

Here is when viewers in various time zones can look forward to watching the episodes live:

Fans will get titles and maybe even schedule changes as the season progresses.

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Where to watch Law & Order: SVU Season 26?

Law & Order: SVU Season 26 will be available to watch live or the day after it airs through Peacock, NBC's streaming service. The service will be free and ad-supported, while the Premium version is $5.99/month with ads or ad-free for $11.99/month.

The premium option provides access to all the episodes, extra content, and full seasons of previous seasons. Law & Order: SVU is also available on Hulu, but the streaming platform is often a season behind Peacock. Subscriptions begin at $7.99/month (with ads) or $14.99/month (ad-free), so a viewer can binge hundreds of hours of original content, including many prior seasons of the show.

Individual episodes can be purchased from Amazon Prime Video for around $2.99 each, and full seasons sometimes run between $20 and $50. International viewers will have a few different choices depending on their region and possibly even be required to access some of the live streams through a VPN.

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Mariska Hargitay’s recent Law & Order: SVU revelation

Mariska Hargitay, the woman assiduously carving out her niche in television history through Olivia Benson, has revealed in Interview Magazine the dark side of playing the most revered character she has ever portrayed.

She spoke candidly about how much the storylines impacted her on the show to the point of what she calls "secondary trauma." There were times, she said, when she didn't know how to protect herself.

She referred to the intense and often disturbing real-life crimes on which the show is based. The sheer volume of violent stories affected her deeply.

She added,

“I think I was definitely a victim of secondary trauma from being inundated with these stories and knowing that they were true.”

However, Hargitay has managed to make a difference. In 2004, Hargitay founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, which protects survivors of s**ual assault, domestic violence, and child ab*se.

Through this foundation, she has assisted in reshaping the societal perspective regarding these crimes, and, like the character she portrays on SVU, she wants to improve things.

Reflecting on her journey from young actress to leading woman, Hargitay told NBC Insider what making it to the top has meant to her:

“I love my job. I love going to work every day… We’re a unit, and it’s so sacred to me.”

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Benson continues to play a vital role in Law & Order: SVU.