'Law and Order: SVU' season 17 spoilers, plot: premiere date remains unchanged

Law and Order: SVUNBC

Following a recent report that several of the "Law and Order: SVU" cast members have made pregnancy announcements, there is a rumor spreading across the Internet that the season 17 premiere might be delayed to give these cast members some time off. 

It all started when actor Ice-T announced via Twitter that his wife Coco is pregnant, and this was followed by Kelli Giddish announcing she is expecting her first child with her husband Lawrence Falbourn. Peter Scanavino also announced his wife Lisha Bai is pregnant with their second child. Executive producer Warren Leight has taken to Twitter to post his amusement that three cast members are expecting babies. 

According to a report from Enstarz, the premiere date might be pushed back a few weeks in order for the cast to spend some much-needed time with their families and to prepare for their babies. However, NBC has not commented on this and neither has Leight or any of the writers. None of the cast members have announced on their social media accounts that they are delaying the production schedule, and the show's official site has not made any announcements for delays. 

The showrunners and producers may still make changes before the premiere date arrives, but as most studios do when cast members are pregnant, they might have been able to re-work the filming schedule to get the critical scenes involving Giddish done first, while also putting into consideration Ice-T's and Scanavino's need to be with their wives. 

It is also rumored that the show might integrate Giddish's pregnancy into the show but this has not yet been confirmed by the star, the writers, or by NBC. 

Of course this may change as production goes along but as of the time of writing, the premiere date for "Law and Order: SVU" season 17 is still scheduled for Sept. 23.