Big news for “Law & Order: SVU” fans and Mariska Hargitay: Kelli Giddish is officially returning full-time as Amanda Rollins for Season 27 of the long-running NBC series.
Giddish’s 2022 exit, where Rollins left the force for a teaching position after marrying ADA Sonny Carisi Jr., marked one of the show’s most talked-about departures, rivaling Christopher Meloni’s 2011 exit. Though she stepped away as a regular midway through Season 24, Giddish never strayed far, appearing in the Season 24 finale, two Season 25 episodes, and five more this season. Her upcoming return brings her to 15 total seasons with SVU.
Rollins didn’t stay out of law enforcement for long either. She returned to the NYPD as a sergeant in the intelligence division, encouraged by Captain Olivia Benson. Their on-screen bond remains a defining element of the show, and off-screen too. Hargitay, who openly opposed Giddish’s exit, pushed to bring her back.
“Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life,” Giddish wrote when she left. “There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins.”
SVU is also seeing behind-the-scenes changes. Michele Fazekas steps in as showrunner, the first woman to lead the series, replacing David Graziano. Meanwhile, Juliana Martinez and Octavio Pisano will not return as regulars.
Giddish is repped by Untitled Entertainment and Goodman Genow Schenkman. Beyond SVU, she’s developing a reimagining of her web series The Burg and adapting “The Substitution Order” with Double Nickel Entertainment.
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