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‘Law & Order: SVU’ kicks off season 27 with a major character death that left fans (and us) in tears

Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) mourns the devastating loss of a fan-favorite character in the premiere episode of Season 27

NBC's 'Law & Order: SVU' Season 27 kicked off with a bang and a shocking death. The premiere was packed with emotion, as Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) faced a gruesome crime while also mourning a devastating loss. It wasn’t just Olivia; everyone else on the team was seen tearfully saying goodbye to a beloved character, and honestly, we’re wiping away tears too.

The latest 'Law & Order: SVU' episode opens with the death of Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek), and Olivia is seen mourning the heartbreaking loss. "He was the best boss I ever had. Everything I know about being a captain, I learned from him," she says. At the memorial, Sergeant Finn Tutuola (Ice-T) surprises Olivia by revealing that he’s been considering retirement. Meanwhile, Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) hesitates to attend, prompting Olivia to step outside and calm him down. "I feel like we're entering the 'all our friends are dying era,'" she says. Elliot responds, "We had a pretty good run there," to which Olivia adds, "We still do. It’s just different," as reported by Parade.

Notably, 'Law & Order: SVU' Season 27 makes a historic milestone with its first-ever female showrunner, Michele Fazekas, returning nearly 20 years after her initial tenure as a writer and producer, as per Time Magazine. Fazekas talked about her return, saying, "I'd been on the show for five years and for a while I was like, 'I can't do a sex crimes cop show anymore.' It's too hard to be in that world. This was probably the right amount of time to be away from it."

Talking about SVU's evolution, Fazekas notes that the show's current popularity and role as a "guilty pleasure-come-therapy session" came after her initial run. She added, "I think it’s okay to present an ideal version in an imperfect world. There is a real place for that," highlighting the show's commitment to portraying law enforcement that listens to and advocates for survivors without retraumatizing them.