"Law & Order: SVU" is gearing up for its 17th season as it promises more cases and some stories ripped from the headlines for upcoming episodes. This summer's headlines saw a lot of possible new material for the hit NBC series, and one storyline for the new season could be inspired by Josh Duggar's scandals.
In May, the "19 Kids and Counting" star admitted that he molested some of his sisters, and the backlash ultimately led to the cancellation of the show on TLC. Then in August, it was revealed that Josh had an Ashley Madison account and the star admitted to cheating on his wife Anna. Following the cheating admission, his parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar confirmed that Josh entered rehab to seek help.
Raul Esparza, who plays ADA Barba in "Law & Order: SVU," told E! Online that he's sure that the writers will find a way to tell that story, although he isn't sure how they plan to do it.
"It won't be exact," said Esparza. The actor said that the writers won't likely recreate actual events because "we'll never live up to reality because reality's getting bizarre."
Pater Scanavino, who plays Carisi, said that on a personal level, he wouldn't mind if the show did tackle any of Josh's scandals.
"I wouldn't mind doing one just because I have never been so infuriated with someone's level of hypocrisy, and lying, and then displacement of responsibility onto something else," Scavino said, adding that he feels a lot of anger when he thinks about the father of four.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Warren Leight appeared to confirm that they were considering Josh's scandals for an episode in season 17.
"Over the summer, there were some very public stories about religious families with problems at their core, and we might take a look at that," Leight said to THR.
"Law & Order: SVU" season 17 premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 9 p.m. on NBC.
