A beloved 'Law & Order: SVU' character is returning in Season 27 and we can't stay calm
Get ready to welcome back a familiar face on 'Law & Order: SVU' Season 27. The long-running police procedural continues to center on Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and her team as they tackle sensitive cases. As the season moves forward, Octavio Pisano, who played Detective Joe Velasco, is set to make a comeback, setting the stage for a memorable reunion. As per Deadline, Pisano is back in New York filming an episode as Velasco, with the character working undercover.
After exiting 'Law & Order: SVU' as a series regular last October for a DEA assignment in San Diego, Pisano is now returning in a guest or recurring capacity, appearing in at least one episode, as per the publication. Pisano, who joined the show in Season 23 in a recurring role, was promoted to series regular and later reprised his role as Detective Velasco in crossover episodes with 'Law & Order: Organized Crime.' Beyond television, Pisano has continued to grow creatively, recently making his feature directorial debut with the boxing drama 'Wet Under Blue Sky,' which he also wrote and starred in.
Not only that, but Juliana Aidén Martinez, who exited 'Law & Order: SVU' after Season 26, says she's also open to returning someday despite moving to CBS' 'FBI.' In a conversation with Us Weekly, Martinez addressed the possibility of returning to 'Law & Order: SVU,' saying, "It was such a great time that I had with the SVU cast. I would never say never," and adding that her experience on the show was "really wonderful" despite her move from NBC to CBS. Martinez said she's open to returning but content in her current role, noting, "It would never be a situation in which I would say no." She added, "I'm really happy being here and telling the story of Eva Ramos… I'm also really happy where I'm at."
Notably, Martinez joined 'Law & Order: SVU' in Season 26 as a Junior Detective but later departed the series alongside Pisano. While Pisano returned to address his character's exit, Martinez shifted her focus to joining the cast of CBS' hit drama 'FBI.' Both shows exist within producer Dick Wolf's shared television universe, leaving the door open for a potential crossover.
Martinez further expressed enthusiasm about the idea of her return, saying, "I would love that. That would be really, really cool," though she admitted the logistics could be tricky. "I don't think that will happen. I would probably just be off for the week that we do a crossover," she added. Laughing about the challenge of playing two characters in the same universe, Martinez joked it might be "way too complicated," but still called the possibility "an absolute dream," imagining herself simply "changing outfits in between both characters."
