With the premiere of Season 17 of Law & Order: SVU season 17 less than two months away, fans are eager for some information on what to expect from the next chapter.

Some of the cast members and the showrunner of the NBC procedural have talked about the next season in interviews.

One of the main points of contention has to do with Nick Amaro's (Danny Pino) exit in season 16.

We are rooting for Amaro's return and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Warren Leight suggested that while Amaro's departure was kind of definite for now, this might not be the ultimate goodbye.

"So far, Cragen's come back and Munch has come back, and even Dean [Winters] came back," he said. "I try to leave that door open. I would like to be able to bring him back. At this point, it depends on where he is and what he's doing and what the story needs. That's one of the advantages of not killing a character that you like. On Criminal Intent after I left, they killed off Captain Ross and there have been a couple of times where I just wish I had him for an episode. And Jill Hennessy's character was killed off [on Law & Order], and there have been a couple of times where I wanted to bring her in. I'm not sure it's a great idea to kill off characters who have brought a lot to this show."

Leight has also revealed that the premiere will be a big two-part, two-hour affair. Additionally one of the most exciting developments of season 17 will be the return of serial killer Greg Yates (Dallas Roberts). The murderous doc who horrified viewers in the Law & Order SVU and Chicago P.D. crossover is going to be back according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter.

Kelli Giddish, who plays Amanda Rollins, also spoke to E! Online earlier this year about her storyline in season 17. She suggested that Rollins was going to deal with some major issues in the next chapter, specifically the dangerous pitfall of detective life: getting obsessed with a certain case to the point of detriment.

In an interview with Variety, Leight dished about some interesting plot points for the next chapter. The show is known to source its inspiration for cases from the news, and hot topics. It seems like the buzz surrounding transgender celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox has caught the imagination of the writers.

"We've already started our season 17 storylines. We're doing a story about a transgender teenager," he said.

Leight suggested that while these developments -- like advocating for the rights of the transgender community -- are for the better, there are complicated grey areas that need addressing.

"The world keeps evolving, and there are a lot of dark areas that we need to look at," Leight added.

The executive producer also spoke to the publication about the dangerous pitfalls of working on a long-running show like SVU.

"Part of my challenge and everybody's challenge here is to keep it fresh and to not let a groove turn into a rut, and that can happen for any show at any time," he said. "Everyone here is really invested in keeping the show fresh and keeping the show on. We view every year's upfronts as a place to prove that we still deserve to be here."

Season 17 of Law & Order: SVU will premiere on Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. (ET).

The finale for season 16 of Law and Order SVU aired on May 20.

Watch the preview:

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