Law & Order: SVU season 19 finale: Series boss hoping for record season 21

The Law & Order: SVU season 19 finale is airing tonight on NBC and with that you will see the entire team tested in a difficult case that begins with a crisis where a man is held at gunpoint by a woman who claims to remember him. This footage is being live-streamed, which means that Benson and the entire team may have a limited period of time in which to find the parties involved.

So what was the idea behind ending the season with this story, and what made it perfect for this two-hour finale? CarterMatt spoke with showrunner Michael Chernuchin leading into this episode, and without giving too much away he indicated that one of the main goals was to tell a story here about a hot-button topic, and then also figure out “how to fit that into the SVU universe … where you don’t even realize you’re dealing with that issue” until a little bit later in the episode. Basically, expect some twists here that lead to a layered discussion about one of the most controversial issues in America in 2018.

This was Chernuchin’s first year of running SVU after working on Chicago Justice last year, and in the first part of our two-part interview (check back after the finale for part two) he opened up about his experience this year and how he wants to see the show get a season 21. In doing so, it will break the record of Gunsmoke and Law & Order proper as the longest-running primetime drama series in terms of seasons on the air!

CarterMatt – What was the overall experience for you coming onto the show this year?

Michael Chernuchin – I did the mothership [Law & Order] for years and when I moved over to this, I thought ‘how could I do more than five episodes? How many different rape stories can you tell?’. Now, I see it’s unlimited and what I thought was going to be putting me into a box writing-wise I found to be so liberating.

There’s a reason, and it’s so simple: In Law & Order, our victim was always dead, and in SVU nine out of ten times, the victim is alive. You get that point of view and you can get raw emotion on the screen week after week after week.

I know it’s more than a year away, but are you thinking about getting that season 21 and breaking the record?

That’s all I think about — I’m serious. I want to get that record (laughs). If you’re going to do something, do it the best. That’s how I look at it. I really think it deserves it.

Are you interested in getting that record and being around beyond that?

As long as it goes, I’ll be here. I’ve had the best time. I’ve been doing television for 27 years and this is the best gig I’ve ever had.

Want to get some other insight regarding SVU?

(Photo: NBC.)