Carisi is about to have a family reunion.
Beverly D’Angelo, best known for her roles in the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, will be appearing in a March episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Serafina Carisi, the mother of Peter Scanavino’s ADA.
This episode promises to give more insight into Carisi’s past and future with his new girlfriend Rollins (Kelli Giddish).
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit loading up on guest stars
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, like almost all NBC shows, will be taking an extended break for February due to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The Olympics begin February 5 and will run through February 20 with extensive coverage on NBC and Peacock.
Production is still ongoing for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit which will bring back some familiar faces. Betty Buckley will reprise her role as Carisi’s supervisor, Trial Division Chief Lorraine Maxwell. The character appeared in Nightmares in Drill City, where she and Carisi clashed on a complex murder trial.
Scanavino had praised Buckley to Give Me My Remote, saying, “I liked that world and I’d like to explore that so you can see the legwork the Carisi has to do on his part [to get justice]…I thought all those scenes were just great and illustrative and showed you a lot about what Carisi’s day-to-day is like.”
Also, Ari’el Stachel will reprise his role as Sergeant Hasim Khaldun. The former transit cop had worked with the SVU team on a few cases and even dated Rollins. He returned in Silent Night, Hateful Night, now part of the Hate Crimes Division. He appears to be rejoining the team when they are short-staffed.
The February 24 episode (its title is yet to be revealed) will also feature guest-star Lisa Joyce of HBO’s Insecure, playing the birth mother of a woman seeking her biological parents.
This will be Joyce’s third appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, having played different characters in Season 9’s Avatar and Season 13’s Missing Pieces.
Now, another past guest actress will be playing a much bigger role.
Who is Beverly D’Angelo?
Rising from a stage actress to movies, Beverly D’Angelo had a breakout performance as Patsy Cline in the 1980 drama Coal Miner’s Daughter.
In 1983, she played the role of Ellen Griswold in the hit comedy National Lampoon’s Vacation. She would reprise the role in four sequels.
D’Angelo has remained busy in movies and TV such as Entourage, Insatiable and more.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans already know D’Angelo for her role as public defender Rebecca Balthus. D’Angelo played the part in three episodes in Season 5 and two more in Season 9.
D’Angelo won’t be the only Carisi in the episode as Ryann Shane is returning as Carisi’s niece Mia. The character debuted in Season 19’s In Loco Parentis at the center of a difficult assault trial.
Obviously, this will be a big step for the Carisi-Rollins relationship as the pair have finally gotten together after years of flirting. Bringing his girlfriend to meet his mother will be a big step for Carisi, but the question is if his mom is as welcoming to Amanda.
Either way, it promises to put Carisi’s family in the spotlight and maybe explain a bit more of where he came from as he moves forward with Rollins.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 23 returns Thursday, February 24 at 9/8c on NBC.