Law & Order SVU has finally circled back to the hostage crisis from the midseason finale.
ADA Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. was held hostage with several other victims inside a deli.
Carisi interrupted a robbery in progress at the deli. Two men were forcing customers to use the ATM to withdraw money from their accounts.
The entire episode (Law & Order: SVU Season 26, Episode 8) dealt with the deli hostage situation, with Carisi (played by Peter Scanavino) on the inside and his wife Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) outside.
Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) went looking for Carisi when he missed a meeting with her. She arrived at the deli right as the two criminals forced Carisi to lock the front door. She considered this to be Carisi saving her life and wanted to ensure he got out safely.
From there, everything spiraled, and the experience of that hostage situation has stuck with Carisi ever since.
That included the deli employee getting shot (he died), Carisi getting assaulted, and it impacting his married life with Rollins. He also felt responsible for everything that went wrong.
Law & Order: SVU Season 26, Episode 17 synopsis
“Carisi attempts to put aside his role as prosecutor to serve as a witness in a trial; Benson tries to help a rape survivor struggling with her recovery,” reads the synopsis for the Law & Order: SVU April 3 episode.
This new episode debuts after the show takes time off. NBC’s March 27 primetime lineup has Suits LA episodes. This is due to the 2025 NCAA Tournament airing games on various other networks.
Law & Order: SVU April 3 episode promo
Below is the promo NBC is running for SVU 26×17. It’s short but teases the emotions that will take center stage.
This new episode of SVU (Accomplice Liability) airs on Thursday, April 3 at 9/8c on NBC.
For viewers who want to re-watch the episode where this storyline began, it was Law & Order: SVU Season 26, Episode 8 (Cornered).
More news on the NBC dramas
Eamonn Walker is returning to Chicago Fire. He played Chief Wallace Boden on the hit NBC show for 12 years but left the drama during the Season 12 finale.
A new Chicago P.D. cast member teased some spoilers. Shawn Hatosy plays the new deputy chief and he has some secrets that could negatively impact Intelligence as Season 12 continues.
Previous episodes of Law & Order: SVU are streaming on Peacock.
Law & Order: SVU airs Thursday at 9/8c on NBC.