Main Special guest stars ===Crossover stars from
Chicago P.D.===
Recurring Guest stars portrays Deputy Chief William Dodds, the head of all the Special Victims Units in New York City, in 4 episodes.
Peter Scanavino joined, originally in a recurring capacity, as Detective
Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr., beginning with the season premiere episode "Girls Disappeared". Detective Carisi is "going to come in [to SVU] and shake things up...a guy who maybe needs a little bit of refining". Starting with the fifth episode of the season, Scanavino was upgraded to a regular cast member. Scanavino previously appeared in the
season fourteen episode "Monster's Legacy" as another character.
Peter Gallagher joins this season, in a recurring capacity, as Deputy Chief William Dodds, the head of all the Special Victims Units in New York City.
Teri Polo of the
ABC Family series
The Fosters guest stars in the second episode, "American Disgrace", as Cordelia. Polo previously appeared in the
season ten episode "Confession" as another character.
Stacy Keach,
Henry Simmons and
Sandy Duncan also guest star.
Ron Rifkin returns to
SVU portraying defense attorney Marvin Exley in an episode that aired in October, "Producer’s Backend". Exley represents Tensley (portrayed by Stevie Lynn Jones), a young Hollywood celebrity in conflict with the law.
Brian d'Arcy James stars as the top-level producer who gave Tensley a
score.
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson also guest stars as Tensley's mother. portrays a woman accused of raping her husband, in "December Solstice".
Chicago P.D.s
Sophia Bush (Det. Erin Lindsay),
Jesse Lee Soffer (Det. Jay Halstead), and
Jason Beghe (Sgt. Hank Voight) take part in a crossover event between
Chicago Fire,
Chicago P.D. and
SVU in the November episode "Chicago Crossover". Specifically, they are involved in a joint case involving child sex internet ring. Additionally, Bush and Soffer, with
Marina Squerciati (Ofc. Burgess),
Brian Geraghty (Ofc. Roman) and Stella Maeve (Nadia Decotis), also took part in the second crossover event between the three shows ("Daydream Believer"). In this episode, SVU works with Chicago Intelligence on a rape/murder case connected to an apartment fire in the
Chicago Fire episode "We Called Her Jellybean" and pursue the suspect they're forced to let go in the
Chicago P.D. episode "The Number of Rats". returned to
SVU in "Perverted Justice" as his character
Bayard Ellis. He previously appeared in multiple episodes in seasons 13 and 14.
Harry Hamlin guest starred in an episode that aired on December 10, "Pattern Seventeen" as Rollins' previous commanding-officer in Atlanta, Deputy Chief Patton.
Peter Hermann also guest starred in this episode as defense attorney Trevor Langan. Hamlin made a further appearance in the January 7 episode "Forgiving Rollins", alongside ''
Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23'' actress
Dreama Walker. Walker portrays Reese Taymor, a detective from Atlanta who attends a law enforcement conference in New York, with Patton and accuses the latter of rape. "Agent Provocateur" features guest appearances from Tony Award winner
Patti LuPone alongside of former
Smash star and Tony nominee
Jeremy Jordan. LuPone plays a Hollywood agent and Jordan her newest star who both become involved when their actor colleague is accused of rape. Jordan previously appeared in the 2008 episode "Streetwise", while LuPone made appearances on the original
Law & Order series.
Armand Assante guest starred in "Padre Sandunguero" as Nicholas, Detective Amaro's father. The episode also featured the second appearance of Tony winner
Nikki M. James as a detective. James previously appeared as a 911 Operator in the 2012 episode "Father Dearest".
Tamara Tunie returned after a long absence as Dr.
Melinda Warner in the February 18 episode "Undercover Mother", alongside
Donal Logue as lieutenant
Declan Murphy after his five-episode arc last season. Tunie later appeared in "Daydream Believer". In "December Solstice",
Marcia Cross portrays Charmaine Briggs, the sixth wife of celebrity author Walter Briggs (played by
Robert Vaughn), who is accused of sexually abusing her husband, by their step-daughters. This episode marks Cross' first television appearance since the 2012 finale of
Desperate Housewives, of which she was part of the cast from 2004 to 2012. The episode marks Vaughn's final television prior to his death on November 11, 2016.
Andre Braugher returned to
SVU as his season 13–14 recurring character defense attorney
Bayard Ellis in the episode entitled "Perverted Justice". Ellis tried to set a jailed father accused of raping his daughter, free, after she recants her testimony against him.
Houses
Robert Sean Leonard guest stars as ADA Kenneth O'Dwyer, who goes head-to-head with Ellis in court over the case. Alongside Braugher and Leonard,
Dann Florek made a guest appearance in the same episode as
Don Cragen. Cragen, previously a main character, who served as Captain of SVU from 1999 until the fifteenth season, assists Benson in re-opening the case and gathering evidence. == Episodes ==