NBC renews ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ for Season 16

Continuing its piecemeal tip-toeing around the bubble, NBC has renewed “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for a 16th season.

And that's all of the NBC renewal/cancellation news we have for today.

Sorry. No “Community” news. Chill, y'all!

By all reasonable standards, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” should have been a no-brainer for renewal and should have been picked up months ago. In “most current” Nielsen figures, it is averaging a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49 and 8.4 million viewers.

Not only that, but the Mariska Hargitay favorite is one of they year's only returning dramas to post growth over the 2013-2014 season, rising 19 percent among adults 18-49 and 16 percent overall.

NBC had already renewed “SVU” producer Dick Wolf's “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD,” leading to speculation, mostly from a single trade website, that “SVU” could be in trouble due to demands for lowered budgets and whatnot.

It's unclear who won or lost in the negotiations, other than fans of “SVU,” which will air its rather mind-boggling 343rd episode later this year. Of course, the “Law & Order” mothership ended its 20-season run in 2010 after 456 episodes, so Olivia Benson and company are still dealing with pocket change, at least for another few years.

The “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” renewal came the day after NBC picked up the comedy pilot “Marry Me,” as well as dramas “The Odyssey,” “Allegiance” and “State of Affairs.”

Relieved about “SVU”?

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