NBC's Law & Order: SVU returns this Thursday! Season 21 of the show will be epic not only because of its storyline but also because it will set a new record as the longest-running prime-time live-action series in U.S. TV history. Showrunner Warren Leight, who previously worked on seasons 13-17 of the show, says this year is gonna be very exciting for the cast and crew of the series, because "you don’t remember your 19th birthday, but you remember your 21st.” 

Let's not forget the fact that "Peter Stone" (Philip Winchester) departed at the end of last season, and according to Leight, there won't be a new full-time face showing right away, but the upcoming season will show some "changes in the squad room." Apart from that, there will be some guest stars in the show, like Ian McShane who will play the role of a "big villain," and the Modern Family star Ariel Winter, who will appear in the second episode of the series as a victim who has no memory of her assault.

What else do we know about Law & Order: SVU season 21?

Warren Leight announced that the upcoming season won't be a nostalgia trip but he also revealed that some of our favorite SVU faces will make a comeback. Law & Order: SVU season 21 premieres tonight on NBC, and although some details are still a mystery, what we certainly know is that Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Ice-T, and Peter Scanavino, will be together on screen.