Is ‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 16 new tonight? What about ‘Chicago PD’ season 2?

Every now and then, we like to be your last-minute TV guide when you are surfing through channels, and quickly realizing that something is terribly awry when it comes to what you traditionally prepare yourself to watch.

Tonight, this brings us to the question in the title. This is really one of the first nights of the entire fall season where something is a little bit different when it comes to programming, and there doesn’t seem to be any clear reason for it. While there is a new “Mysteries of Laura” airing on NBC, there is no new installment of either “Law & Order: SVU” season 16 or “Chicago PD” season 2.

If we really wanted to guess why, allow us to play a little bit of detective right now ourselves to guess a reason or two.

• Episode counts – Next week, “Chicago Fire” is going to be a repeat due to in part midterm election coverage, and having repeats of the two Dick Wolf shows tonight keeps their episode counts equal. this may help to keep things even for a little later down the road with crossovers and the like (though we don’t think it’s really essential).
• World Series – Someone clearly thought ahead last week, and speculated that in the event that the Royals and the Giants went to seven games, it was a good move to sit this one out. Ultimately, a smart move.

We will have some more coverage of the future of both of these shows moving forward as always, so of course be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future!

(Photo via NBC.)