‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 16, episode 10 preview: When will Mariska Hargitay, cast return?

Let’s hope that you enjoyed Wednesday night’s new “Law & Order: SVU” episode entitled “Pattern Seventeen.” After all, this was the last episode of 2014.

So when is the show going to return to the air? Think along the lines of Wednesday, January 7 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. Next week, NBC is opting for a special edition of “The Sing-Off,” and then the week after that, it’s Christmas Eve! Therefore, there is really no reason at all for the show to air any more episodes until 2015.

What we do know is that there is going to be some pretty hefty storyline ahead for Mariska Hargitay and her character of Olivia Benson. She did what she could at the end of tonight’s episode to fight for her foster son Noah, but there are still some doubts from child services that she has the time to be a good mother. This is not a case of them thinking that she is a bad mother; instead, it is about time and priorities.

So when are we going to find out something more when it comes to this episode? For now, let’s just say that you are going to be waiting for a while for that, too. Our guess is that you may get a few details by the end of next week, but we wouldn’t be shocked if NBC waits until after the holidays, when publicity departments and everyone else returns to work once again.

(Photo: NBC.)