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Law and Order SVU season 21: A closer look at the schedule

By Brittany Frederick

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT -- "Plastic" Episode 2012 -- Pictured: (l-r) Peter Scanavino as Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Ice T as Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins, Mariska Hargitay as Lieutenant Olivia Benson -- (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT -- "Plastic" Episode 2012 -- Pictured: (l-r) Peter Scanavino as Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Ice T as Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins, Mariska Hargitay as Lieutenant Olivia Benson -- (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC) /
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What does Law and Order SVU season 21’s schedule reveal about the upcoming season? Look at how SVU fits into NBC’s schedule and its competition.

With a new season of Law & Order: SVU, comes a new schedule for fans to look at and wonder: What does that mean? How could it affect the show?

A TV show’s schedule is perhaps the one thing fans overlook each season. Where a show is placed and what it’s up against matter to a series’ success, and thus its chances for renewal. It’s not only about what’s on the screen.

Is it in a good time slot or a bad one? Will it end up getting preempted at some point? Is it going up against bigger or more highly-rated competition? Does it just not make sense?

So with all these questions in mind, it’s time to take a look at the SVU season 21 schedule and see what we can find out.

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Time slot: Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT

History: SVU returns to the same time slot that it inhabited for season 20. It struggled here last time out, posting live ratings that were in the 4-5 million range (and on occasion even lower).

However, its ratings were viewed in an even harsher light because of the phenomenal rise of the Chicago shows on Wednesday. Those three series wound up hitting numbers in the 7-8 million area regularly, so that set up a tough comparison for Dick Wolf‘s other series.

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Direct competition in the same time slot: How to Get Away with Murder (ABC), Evil (CBS), NFL Thursday Night Football (FOX – through Dec. 12), local news (The CW)

Competitive landscape: There’s a tough road ahead for SVU season 21. The series is already not posting big ratings numbers, which is an issue that goes back to when it aired on Wednesdays as the lead-in for Chicago PD; it’s no longer a massive hit, which is somewhat to be expected when it’s been on the air this long.

But now it has one big problem: NFL football. Thursday Night Football, like most live sports and big events (see: awards shows), has crushed its competition regularly. There’s no reason to expect that it won’t dominate Thursday evenings this season.

West Coast viewers should be better off in that respect, since the NFL game should be over by the time SVU is scheduled to air (depending on which teams are playing). But for the East Coast and other early audiences, there’s the potential for overlap. The only plus is that FOX only has the NFL booked through Dec. 12, so the second half of season 21 should be easier.

Prognosis: SVU could benefit from building its live ratings this season after season 20 didn’t make a big bang, but that’s unlikely for the first part of this season due to football. Expect the numbers to stay in the same area, if not drop lower because of the NFL.

That said, unless it completely falls off, the show may not be in danger of cancellation the way other series would, because it brings in lots for NBCUniversal through syndication.

Next. See this month's SVU schedule. dark

For the latest SVU season 21 spoilers and news, plus more on all of Dick Wolf’s other series, follow the Dick Wolf category at One Chicago Center.

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