Law & Order: SVU season 21: Warren Leight returning as showrunner

For everyone out there who loved the work of Warren Leight as Law & Order: SVU showrunner, we come with good news. After previously serving in the position for several years, Leight is now coming back aboard for the record-breaking season 21! We imagine that Leight’s going to bring some of the same powerful storytelling to this world that he did the first go-around, and also potentially some new ideas cultivated during his time away.

According to a new report coming in via Deadline, this new gig for Leight isn’t going to stop him from continuing to develop the spin-off Law & Order: Hate Crimes. Development on this show isn’t stopping — rather, NBC is working to perfect the idea before bringing to further along. Sometimes, that sort of patience can pay off in droves.

In a statement confirming this big news today, here’s some of what Wolf had to say on the subject:

“We have a ‘murderers’ row’ of writers and showrunners on our shows … What they do on a daily and weekly basis is mind-boggling. I’m thrilled that Warren is returning for the historic 21st season of SVU.”

As for current showrunner Michael Chernuchin, who came over to SVU for season 19 following a one-season stint on Chicago Justice, he is moving over to another Wolf production in FBI, where he will serve as an executive producer. Wolf Films productions to have a tendency to swap out showrunners and executive producers — in addition to the example we just shared with Chernuchin, former SVU showrunner Rick Eid is now serving in that same position over on Chicago PD; meanwhile, he and Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas have taken the reigns over at FBI for this first season after some reshuffling behind the scenes. Given how FBI is turning into a franchise all its own over on CBS, we imagine that there are going to be some more producers that could flock over there in due time.

When it comes to Leight and SVU, we’re certainly excited to see what he brings to the series, though we’re going to be waiting for some time in order to see them. Provided some bizarre scheduling quirk over at NBC, you’re not going to see season 21 on the air until September. We’d be shocked if Leight doesn’t write the premiere, given that is something that many showrunners often choose to do — with Warren coming back, in particular, we imagine that he will want to make an imprint on the story fairly early on.

New episodes of SVU are going to continue to air on NBC Thursday night.

What do you think about Warren Leight coming back as showrunner for Law & Order: SVU season 21? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments. (Photo: NBC.)