‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 16 spoilers: The basic premise for Mariska Hargitay’s Benson

What will make up “Law & Order: SVU” season 16? From one vantage point, it’ll be more of the same show that you have watched for a decade and a half. There will be victims who need end, and criminal who need to be put away. You’ll see the Special Victims Unit track them down, and even be emotionally rattled at times by the terror that exist in the world.

However, there is a whole new layer that is brought into the mix now courtesy of Olivia Benson adopting a child. As a mom, there is a shift in priorities … but don’t expect a completely different show. As showrunner Warren Leight explains to the New York Post, the new season will focus Benson trying to handle a variety of different challenges personally and professionally:

“The challenge for Benson will be the same challenge millions of mothers (including Mariska herself) experience daily: how to juggle job responsibilities while being the caretaker at home … Like all moms — badass or not — she’ll multi-task, prioritize and put up with crankiness at home and work.”

Will this mean that we’ll see more of Benson away from the SVU? It’s possible, but we cannot imagine the shift being too seismic. When you’ve been on the air for as long as this series has, you develop a sense of how things work and what fans are specifically looking for.

The 16th season of “SVU” will premiere on NBC Wednesday, September 24, and hopefully it’s only the beginning of a new chapter. You always wonder at this point in the show’s run whether this season will be the last, but there are no indications of that yet.

Photo: NBC