Detective Terry Bruno was absent from SVU’s January 22 episode for a funeral

Nbc reports Kevin Kane’s Detective Terry Bruno did not appear in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27’s "Career Psychopath" (January 22) because he was out of the office to attend a funeral.

The episode saw Bruno’s absence noted by colleagues as the squad handled the return of known villain Henry Mesner. The show explained that Amanda Rollins delayed completing a mandatory psych evaluation and briefly tried to use Bruno’s day off as an excuse. "Look, Bruno is out for a funeral," Rollins said. "We're down a man, so I just figured I-" "You figured what? You figured I'd just let you skip that part?" Benson said. "No, that's just not good for anyone." Tynan had expedited the appointment and Benson had pulled some strings so Rollins could get it done.

The article says Bruno is OOO due to bereavement but is expected to return to Benson’s squad room in upcoming episodes. The piece also notes Bruno was introduced in Season 23, was bumped to series regular in Season 27, has taken significant risks for the team (including during the 2026 crossover), and previously won a millionaire lawsuit against his former NYPD precinct.

Key Topics

Culture, Terry Bruno, Kevin Kane, Svu, Amanda Rollins, Olivia Benson