Law & Order: SVU Touts Barba's Return: 'Something for You to Look Forward To'

The new year will bring back a familiar face to Law & Order: SVU — that of series alum Raul Esparza, as former ADA Rafael Barba.

“We’ve already got something for you to look forward to,” NBC shared Thursday on Instagram. “Barba returns to #SVU in 2021.”

Esparza joined the lonnnng-running crime drama early in Season 14 and exited midway through Season 19, when DA Jack McCoy tried Barba for murder (after he disconnected the life support for a comatose infant with indecisive parents). Though Barba was found not guilty, the experience prompted him to quit his job; he was replaced by former Chicago ASA Peter Stone.

Esparza made a cameo midway through last season, when Barba Skyped with Benson from his new gig — investigating voter fraud in Iowa.

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