Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 13

The thirteenth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit debuted on NBC on September 21, 2011, and concluded on May 23, 2012. With Law & Order: LA and Law & Order: Criminal Intent having ended in July 2011 and June 2011 respectively, this season of Law & Order: SVU was the first to be broadcast without any other running American Law & Order series, a position the series held until the nineteenth season, when Law & Order True Crime premiered.

Season 13 dealt with the departure of Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) from the Special Victims Unit after a shooting in the squad room. Additionally, Warren Leight, coming over from the recently concluded Law & Order: Criminal Intent, became the executive producer/showrunner for the series, replacing Neal Baer who began working on a CBS medical drama.

This is the first season to feature Mariska Hargitay as the lead in the show.