<P> Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was renewed for an eighteenth season on February 1, 2016, by NBC . It was announced in March 2015 that season seventeen would be show runner / executive producer Warren Leight's last season on the show; he signed a three - year deal with Sony Pictures Television, his contract allowing him to work on SVU for one final season . On March 10, 2016, it was announced that Rick Eid would replace Leight as showrunner on this season . </P> <P> The 400th episode of the series aired this season . "Motherly Love," directed by Mariska Hargitay, was filmed and billed as the 400th show . However, due to the shuffling of episodes during the season, the episode actually aired as the 399th episode . The 400th episode that was aired was the eleventh episode of the season, "Great Expectations," which aired on NBC on February 15, 2017, (after being moved from its initial air date of November 9, 2016, and a second air date of January 4, 2017). </P> <P> At the end of production of the season, during upfronts SVU was renewed for a nineteenth season . Following the renewal announcement, it was revealed that show runner / executive producer Rick Eid had departed the show . He took over Chicago P.D. as showrunner / EP starting with its fifth season, replacing C.P.D. co-creator / EP Matt Olmstead . Michael Chernuchin, former showrunner and executive producer for Dick Wolf's Chicago Justice series, as well as a former executive producer and writer for many past incarnations of the Law & Order franchise, was selected as SVU's new showrunner . </P> <P> It was announced at the end of the seventeenth season that recurring star Andy Karl (who portrayed Sergeant Mike Dodds) would be departing the cast due to his Broadway work . He was killed off on the season finale by corrupt corrections officer Gary Munson . </P>

Is this the last season for law and order svu