Who became SVU's first woman showrunner in 2025?

Michele Fazekas became Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s first woman showrunner in 2025. She took over ahead of the series’ twenty-seventh season after David Graziano’s departure.

Fazekas was not new to the franchise. She previously worked on SVU as a writer and producer from the third through seventh seasons, spanning the show’s early-2000s period. Her return therefore connected the modern series with one of its earlier creative eras rather than introducing a completely unfamiliar producer.

Before returning to SVU, Fazekas built a broader television résumé as a writer, producer, creator, and showrunner. Her credits include Reaper, Agent Carter, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Emergence, and Gen V. That background made her appointment notable beyond the gender milestone itself.

The wording can cause confusion because SVU has had many prominent women in front of and behind the camera, including Mariska Hargitay and long-serving writers and producers. The specific distinction here is showrunner: Fazekas was the first woman to hold that top creative leadership role in the series’ history.