'Law and Order SVU' Season 22: Will Wentworth Miller's return introduce a gay character to NBC crime drama?
‘Law and Order: SVU’ has long been an exordium of justice. Its "ripped from the headlines" cases, the chase for criminals, gritty detectives from the New York Police Department (NYPD) have ruled the world of crime drama on television for more than two decades now.
Now, as the show returns for its Season 22, it has a lot to offer. While it has profiled police brutality, racial injustice protests, and inherent bias in the criminal justice system now speculation is that it will mark the return of some guest characters like ADA Isaiah Holmes who is now promoted in the show as chief of civil rights unit and is played by Wentworth Miller. What more can be anticipated is that Wentworth Miller, who has claimed to be gay in real life and is not keen to play “just” straight characters, might bring a fresh perspective to the show. As per the latest reports he has been cast as the leader of the Brooklyn DA’s Civil Rights Unit in season 22. He will look after a case that involved one of his old schoolmates being pulled into an investigation with ADA Dominick Carisi Jr. (Peter Scanavino) who will seek Holmes’ assistance.
Currently, there is no update regarding which episode in the newest series will feature Miller. However, resorts indicate he will appear in the series in an episode to be released in 2021. Miller’s return might indicate that he can essay a gay character in the series as he did in Season 21 where he was featured as a gay ADA. He also took to Instagram to mention how he “just don't want to play straight characters’ and is looking forward to roles he can personally relate to. In his November 7 post, he wrote how he will no longer reprise his role as a straight character Michael Scofield in the series ‘Prison Break’ amid rumors of a Season 6. “On a related note... I'm out. Of PB. Officially. Not bec of static on social media (although that has centered the issue). I just don't want to play straight characters. Their stories have been told (and told). So, No more Michael. If you were a fan of the show, hoping for additional seasons... I understand this is disappointing. I'm sorry. If you're hot and bothered bec you fell in love with a fictional straight man played by a real gay one...That's your work.” Miller played the fictional character Scofield in the drama series ‘Prison Break’ from 2005 to 2017. The actor openly came out as gay in August 2013 where he declined attending the prestigious Saint Petersburg International Film Festival as he was "deeply troubled" by Russia's treatment of the gay community.
Coming to the world of NBC crime drama SVU, Miller played a gay law professor at Fordham in season 21 episode ‘Murdered at a Bad Address’. In that episode, Holmes helped in overturning a conviction against Carisi using some tricks he played on a D.A who suffers from dementia. The episode showed how Carisi and Holmes joined forces to help release a gay victim who is innocent but is wrongly convicted of rape and murder. This reportedly explains why Carisi might seek Holmes’s help in season 22. Rest, let’s wait and see if Miller’s character returns with queer characters and non-binary characters guest-starring in the series. If that happens, SVU will harbinger diversity in gender discourse by rendering more space to such characters.
'Law & Order: SVU' airs on NBC on Thursday nights at 9/8c.
