"We're going to reflect New York in the pandemic. What happens to someone who is sexually assaulted during the height of the coronavirus outbreak,"
—Warren Leight, Showrunner.
The new season of Law & Order: SVU will address the horrific death of George Floyd and the nationwide protests in response to police brutality.
Showrunner Warren Leight opened up about how SVU plans to tackle the current state of the world, explaining during The Hollywood Reporter podcast TV's Top 5 that Floyd's killing "has to come up and it will."
Leight also continued,
"There are ways, we will find our way in to tell the story. Presumably our cops will still be trying to do the right thing but it's going to be harder for them and they're going to understand why it's hard for them”.
Leight explained on the podcast that changes are being made in the SVUwriters' room in an "effort to bring in new voices, fresh voices, different voices."
In addition to making efforts to diversify, Leight shared that SVU has "tried really hard in the last year to show how class and race affect the outcomes of justice in society, but I'm beginning to suspect 'really hard' wasn't enough."
"This has to be a moment where people make themselves uncomfortable — where people in power have to make themselves uncomfortable," Leight said on the podcast.
While Leight explained,
"[We] can't make every episode about a bad cop," he added that, "Olivia makes mistakes ... but she's empathic, which is I think what separates the cops on our television show from a lot of what we're seeing these days on our livestreams."
The upcoming season ofSVUwill also explore the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
"We're going to reflect New York in the pandemic. What happens to someone who is sexually assaulted during the height of the coronavirus outbreak,"
Its good to see pop culture sharing light on today’s topics. How do you feel about Law & Order: SVU getting more real in their new season?
Let ya know what you think in the comments.