Law & Order: SVU season 20: Should Raul Esparza return?

Law & Order: SVU July 7, 2018

As we move into Law & Order: SVU season 20 premiering this fall on NBC, this does feel like the perfect time in which to start questioning whether or not we could see some familiar faces come back into the world again. We always want to see former cast members come back for an appearance here and there, but with this being such a milestone, record-tying year for the show it feels like this sort of thing is all the more essential.

With that in mind, we’re going to spend much of the next few weeks looking at various characters and raising the following question to you: Do you want to see them back on the show? Today, we’re looking at a character whose departure is still fairly recent in Raul Esparza’s Rafael Barba.

We probably don’t need to refresh anyone as to when Barba left the show or how it went about. Yet, one of the things that was clear in much of the exit press around that time was that Esparza was open to coming back on the show again, should the right opportunity present itself. We do think that the opportunities will be there. It’s really so simple as a cold case coming back up that Barba looked into and with that, Stone and the SVU team collectively could use some of his insight. It’d be nice to see the character again, especially in terms of learning more about what he’s up to and if he has found a different sense of peace that comes with life away from the job. Esparza is a brilliant performer, so you know that he would knock it out of the park.

Also, it would just be nice to see Barba and Benson in a few scenes again; even if the relationship between the two never turned romantic, they had great chemistry working together.

Could this happen?

Maybe, but we doubt it would before 2019. Esparza’s exit is still so recent that there could be some hesitation having it happen now. It almost feels more likely that this could be something for a potential season 21 than season 20. We’d absolutely welcome it, though, since Barba remains one of our favorite SVU characters of the entire run.

Do you want to see Barba return on Law & Order: SVU season 20? Be sure to share in the comments below!

(Photo: NBC.)

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3 Comments

Bronwen Welch
August 6, 2018 @ 11:45 am

Should Barba (Esparza) return? Absolutely! He was the best part of the show
Dan
July 27, 2018 @ 10:16 pm

Agree completely with Brian. He should come back but only if Warren Leight comes back as showrunner. The past two seasons under Rick Eid and the current awful one have seen all character development disappear in a puff of smoke. Barba hasn’t been himself for 2 seasons, he’s barely a character at all. He just nods and agrees with Liv. Carisi’s personality changes depending on which way the wind is blowing, Finn gets even less to do and Amanda’s character gets assassinated from episode to episode. The way she treated that sex worker? Beyond gross.

The problem is that it’s clear that Chernuchin doesn’t understand what makes the show good, nor who the characters are – and he legit doesn’t care. I’m done until things change.
Brian
July 25, 2018 @ 4:11 pm

I would like to see him and the former show runner Warren Leight return. The stories were never better with both of them on the series.

Peter Stone’s (Phillip Winchester) inclusion falls flat even with that emotional 2 part season finale. I want to like him but I just can’t seem to warm up to him. I also feel the other characters on the show warmed up to quickly.