The effects of Mike Dodd's (Andy Karl) death will be felt when "Law & Order: SVU" returns for season 18.

In the finale episode of season 17, Mike was shot by a dishonest corrections officer who planned to dodge imprisonment. The police sergeant tried to fight for his life, but his condition got worse when blood clots formed in his brain. This left his father, Deputy Chief William Dodds (Peter Gallagher), with no choice but take him off life support.

According to former showrunner Warren Light in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mike's death was used to let the viewers know that a policeman's job could be full of danger.

"We tend to think of our guys almost being like superheroes in a way. There's an invulnerability to them, and that's not the reality of that job," Leight said. "We just also wanted to give respect to the police officers who do risk their lives every day and whose families don't know if they're ever coming home. What is that loss like? What is that anxiety like for families of police officers?"

The upcoming season is also expected to feature the budding romance between Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Ed Tucker (Robert John Burke).

In an interview with E! News, Hargitay revealed that Tucker has a positive effect on her character's life.

"He's so masculine and so strong and so powerful that she can [exhale] because he's that, so [Benson] gets to be a different color," the actress stated.

However, reports claim that Benson and Tucker's possible romance might be cut short with the possible return of Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), Benson's original partner. Will he try to win back Benson's affection upon his return?

NBC premieres the all-new episodes of "Law & Order: SVU" season 18 on Wednesday, Sept. 21.