Detective Grace Muncy Hits The Big Time On Law And Order: SVU

There's been a lot of chatter in recent years about television's longest-running shows. And whenever that topic comes up, two series are always at the forefront of the conversation. The first is, understandably, "The Simpsons," which, having been on the air continuously since 1989, is the longest-running scripted series in the history of television (via CBS News). The second is "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," which has outlasted even its predecessor "Law & Order" to reign as television's longest-running live-action series (per Insider).

Almost miraculously, "SVU" has reached that pinnacle, with original star Mariska Hargitay fronting nearly every episode (per IMDb). Of course, the faces around her, Detective Olivia Benson, have changed quite a bit over the years 'cause that's just what happens when shows are on the air for such long stretches. "Law & Order: SVU" producers have gotten quite good at bringing fresh faces into the mix. And that indeed includes the recent addition of "Queen of the South" alum Molly Burnett, who joined the "SVU" cast for Season 24 as Detective Grace Muncy.

Though she's still relatively new to the "SVU" fold, Det. Muncy has already played a big role in several cases throughout the new season. And if the show's opening credits are any indication, she'll continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

In the more than three decades since the flagship "Law & Order" series hit the air, the opening title sequence has become about as iconic as the "dun-dun" sound used in scene transitions. And yes, it's a pretty big deal whenever a new face turns up in those titles, as it typically signals an actor and their character are joining the cast for an extended run. As such, fans of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" were quick to seize on the first appearance of Molly Burnett in the opening crawl during the seventh episode of Season 24.

Twitter user @Sonny_Carisi was among the first "SVU" fans to acknowledge Burnett's step up to the big time with a post welcoming the actor to the opening credits. While an official press announcement has yet to be made about Detective Grace Muncy transitioning from "recurring role" to "series regular," both Burnett and her bosses at Dick Wolf's Wolf Entertainment clearly seemed to acknowledge the fact in a heartfelt Twitter exchange the day the episode aired on November 10, 2022.

It also makes a lot of sense that Burnett's status on "SVU" would change now as longtime star Kelli Giddish is soon to make her own series exit (via Variety). While the shoes of Giddish's Det. Amanda Rollins will not be easy to fill, judging from what we've seen of Det. Muncy, to date, Burnett more than has the chops to fill them.