The beloved character Amanda Rollins returns in a big way for Season 26 of Law & Order: SVU. Rollins (Kelli Giddish), who left as a regular in Season 24, made her long-awaited return in Episode 3, “Divide and Conquer.” This time, she played a Sergeant in the NYPD Intelligence Division, which was a much more powerful role.
Rollins was a key detective on the SVU team for more than ten years. She left the team in Season 24 to focus on her job as a teacher and her growing family with her husband, ADA Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino). Fans were sad when she left SVU, but Rollins has since made a number of guest appearances, which have given fans a look into her life since leaving the show. Rollins is now doing great in a new job that fits her investigative skills perfectly since she came back.
During a city-wide briefing for the Intelligence Unit in Season 26 of SVU, Rollins runs into Olivia Benson, who used to be her boss and is played by Mariska Hargitay. They are happy to see each other again, and Benson greets Rollins with “Sergeant,” recognizing her new rank. The friendship between them is still strong; Rollins greets Benson back and calls him “Captain” as they hug.
Rollins tells Benson, “It’s like getting to listen in on the whole world,” to show how excited she is about the new job. Aside from that, she thanks Benson for making things better with the bosses which helped her get the job. Rollins says she missed this side of herself—her drive and her love for law enforcement—even though the hours were long. She is thrilled to be back in a position where she can make a difference.
Rollins introduces her new partner, Detective Corgan, played by John Clarence Stewart, and also gets back in touch with Benson. From the way they talk to each other, it’s clear that Rollins is doing great at her new job.
This exciting return won’t happen just once. Giddish has hinted that fans will see more of Rollins in future episodes, which could mean that there will be more interesting plots in the future. She is still happily married with three kids and a strong family foundation with Carisi, so her return doesn’t change anything in her personal life. Rollins’s path from detective to professor to now Sergeant shows how versatile she is and how determined she is to keep growing as a person and as a worker.
After more than 12 years and 258 episodes, Rollins’ return to SVU is a treat for fans who have watched her progress from a team detective to a reputable head of the NYPD Intelligence Bureau.
Rollins’s return reminds us that even though her job has changed, she is still committed to justice and has a strong bond with her SVU family. People who like, Sergeant Amanda Rollins will be very interested to see what she does next as she starts a new part of her career.
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