Law and Order: SVU did not hold back during its season 26 fall finale. The episode "Cornered" saw Dominick Carisi (Peter Scanavino) suffer a harrowing ordeal at the hands of would-be robbers, and narrowly escape a hostage situation with his life intact.
The character assured his longtime colleague, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and his wife, Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), that he was fine by the end of the episode, but it's clear the character is not in a good headspace. Carisi's compromised state, coupled with Rollins' involvement in the fall finale, has fans wondering whether the latter will return to Law & Order: SVU in a larger capacity when the show returns in January.
Rollins left SVU at the end of season 24
Unfortunately, this will not be the case. Both Rollins and the actress who plays her, Giddish, have made it clear that they will not be rejoining SVU in a full time role following their exit in season 24. Rollins admitted that she missed the thrill of pursuing criminals during one of her season 25 guest appearances, but Benson was quick to remind her that she left her SVU role for a reason.
Rollins may have grown bored of the first position she took after leaving the SVU team, criminology profession, but she has adjusted much better to her current position, which is Sergeant in the NYPD's Intelligence Unit. She told Benson as much during the season 26 episode "Divide and Conquer":
"Don't take this the wrong way; I love it. It's like getting to eavesdrop on the whole world."
Kelli Giddish allegedly had a salary dispute with NBC
Rollins has made a handful appearances since she's left SVU, and is clearly still good friends with Benson, but the show and the character has repeatedly reminded viewers that it's ultimately better for her to steer clear of the SVU lifestyle. She's happier, and healthier, where she currently is.
Unlike so many procedural cast exits, though, Rollins' diminished screen time was not a result of the actor wanting to pursue different roles. A rep told Variety that the decision to write the character off the show full time was not made by Kelli Giddish, but rather the network after they were unable to reach a salary agreement.
Giddish has been glowing about her time on the show, but the circumstances in which she "left" lead us to believe that the chances of her making a full time return are slim. She will no doubt remain a big supporting presence, especially given the arc involving her onscreen husband, but fans will have to make due with the occasional cameo.