It’s official: Detective Grace Muncy is a permanent part of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Fans of the long-running series saw a significant change to the intro of this week’s episode. It now featured Molly Burnett as the last cast member mentioned.
It also ended with a new shot of the cast, with Burnett joining the rest of the SVU team in the classic pose.
This confirms Muncy will be sticking around on the show for some time after joining in the second episode of this season.
It’s likely that Burnett will become the substitute when Kelli Giddish leaves her role as Amanda Rollins in a few weeks.
With her place now set, the actress is ready to join the elite SVU team and the Law & Order franchise on a regular basis.
Detective Grace Muncy is joining SVU
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 opened as part of a larger Law & Order crossover with Rollins (Kelli Giddish) shot in the line of duty.
Episode 2 took place months later, with Rollins recovering on the job. She joined the SVU team handling a case of a family attacked by a street gang on a subway.
That had Benson clashing with a police gang unit whose members included Grace Muncy, as played by Molly Burnett.
The actress was known for her role in the USA Network drama Queen of the South as well as an episode of FBI: Most Wanted.
Benson was impressed by Muncy’s skills in helping a victim identify her attacker and with how passionate she was. However, she also saw Muncy as a poor fit for the gang unit. She thus talked Muncy into joining SVU.
Muncy has done her best to fit in, such as changing her wardrobe and working well with the team. She did get in trouble for using rough treatment on a suspect but then managed to get him to crack under interrogation.
While Burnett seemed to be making regular appearances, she had been listed as a “special guest star” for each episode since joining. That, however, has now changed.
Molly Burnett is now a true Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star
The latest episode, Dead Ball, opened by showing Molly Burnett as part of the opening credits sequence.
Wolf Entertainment welcomed her with an image, and the actress shared it and how much it meant for her to join the show.
“So very happy to be here,” Burnett wrote over the tweet of herself in the classic ‘SVU team pose’ that appears at the end of the credits.
It’s likely Muncy will become Rollins’ substitute when Kelli Giddish leaves the series in Episode 8.
The character has shown a few quirks, such as being color-blind and caring for a younger brother. Being a permanent part of the show will allow more of her background and what drove her into being a cop to be shown.
With her elevation to the opening credits and becoming a regular secure, SVU and its fans can have plenty of time to know Muncy and see how she develops as a cop.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.