The twenty-third season of the American crime-drama television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was ordered on February 27, 2020, by NBC. It was set to air during the 2021–2022 television season, the season was produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television; the showrunner was Warren Leight, in the third and final season of his second stint in the role. The season premiered on September 23, 2021, and concluded on May 19, 2022. The series' milestone 500th episode aired this season as the sixth episode and saw the return of former Detective Nick Amaro and former SVU Captain Don Cragen. This is the last season for Jamie Gray Hyder and Demore Barnes as they departed in the premiere episode. The season consisted of 22 episodes.