Law & Order: SVU Promotes Raul Esparza to Series Regular for Season 15

Producers are putting the "order" firmly back into Law & Order: SVUfor the procedural's upcoming 15th season.

Raul Esparza, who recurred last year as ADA Rafael Barba, has been promoted to a series regular, Deadline reports.

Barba, known for his sharp suits and his sometimes brash methods, is the first ADA to be included in the regular cast since Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) in Season 11.

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Esparza made his debut on the show early in Season 14 after having worked with showrunner Warren Leight on the short-lived Broadway musical Leap of Faith. "Making him a series regular is a small way of acknowledging his enormous contribution to our show," Leight said in a statement.

Although the news is good for SVU fans, it might be harder to swallow for Hannibal viewers. Esparza recurred as Frederick Chilton, and series creator Bryan Fuller recently told  TVGuide.com he wanted "a lot more of Raul Esparza" in Season 2.

Law & Order: SVU's two-hour season premiere airs on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 9/8c on NBC. Are you excited to see more Barba?