Law & Order: SVU season 19 filming set to begin soon

All diehard fans, take note: Law & Order: SVU season 19 filming will be here before you know it!

In a new post on Twitter, executive producer Julie Martin confirmed that production will be starting up on the new batch of episodes next week. This effectively means that Mariska Hargitay and company will be out and about in New York City, continuing to do more of what they do best of being heroes to the people in need. This is a show that likely has many important stories coming, though there isn’t that much known about them for the time being.

To date, one of the biggest things known about season 19 is something behind the scenes: Rick Eid is now running a different NBC / Dick Wolf production in Chicago PD, and the network’s game of musical chairs has led Michael Chernuchin over to SVU for season 19. He’s very familiar with the franchise thanks to his extensive work there, and he should be extremely well-equipped to tell some powerful stories alongside Martin and the rest of the team.

The new season will premiere this fall on NBC; will remain in its familiar timeslot Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. Eastern; the only change this year is the presence of The Blacklist airing before it on the night. It will still be followed by Chicago PD.

What do we want to see on SVU season 19?

With a show like this, it’s difficult to speculate because we’re discussing stories that are often horrific in the way of what happens to the victims. With that, it’s hard to say you want anything in terms of the crimes. What we’d like to see in terms of the characters are further opportunities to explore who they are as people, both on the job and off. What drives them to keep fighting for justice, especially in such a divisive, difficult climate? How do they handle difficult perceptions of law enforcement in 2017, and a culture that unfortunately does engage in victim-blaming and offensive behavior? The show can effectively tell procedural stories better than anyone, but we also appreciate it when things turn personal and we learn more about the people wearing the badges. Give Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, Peter Scanavino, and Raul Esparza a few standout episodes this season where you see the world more through their eyes. (It goes without saying that we want that for Hargitay, who consistently shines and should be an annual Emmy contender.)

Of course, it’s always great when SVU manages to book a few big-name guest stars over the course of the season, just to give the show even more clout and publicity.

Now, we turn this over to you

What do you want to see in terms of stories on Law & Order: SVU season 19? Be sure to share in the attached comments right now!

(Photo: NBC.)