Exclusive: NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has a new showrunner, Michele Fazekas, who is returning to the venerable crime drama after almost two decades. Coming off a stint as showrunner/co-showrunner on Prime Video’s Gen V, Fazekas is replacing David Graziano who served as Svu showrunner for the past three seasons and will finish the current Season 26 before handing over the reins to Fazekas. The NBC procedural, from Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, has not been renewed yet for 2025-26 yet but that is fully expected.

Fazekas’ appointment marks the first time in Svu‘s 26-year history that a female showrunner will spearhead the series, which has a female lead, Mariska Hargitay as the iconic Captain Olivia Benson, and deals primarily with sexual crimes against women.

“As I see it and look back, Olivia Benson is sort of a perfect feminist story because we actually see this woman grow into her power,...