Whoopi Goldberg is having a run in with the Law...on Law & Order: SVU. The Oscar winner will guest star in an upcoming season 17 episode, E! News can exclusively report.
Goldberg, who returned to The View this fall alongside hosts Joy Behar, Paula Faris, Candace Cameron Bure, Michelle Collins and Raven-Symone, will play Janette Grayson, a department of Child Services supervisor who is put on trial when the agency comes under fire for their internal policies. The episode is scheduled to air on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. on NBC.
Peter Gallagher will also appear in "Institutional Fail," reprising the role of Chief Dodds.
The EGOT winner comes into the Special Victims Unit's crosshairs when a starving toddler is found wander the streets alone. The detectives trace the toddler to the home of Manuela Ozuna (guest star Jessica Pimental) and find another child in grave condition. This leads them to the Department of Child Services and caseworker Keith Musio (guest star John Magaro). Keith points his finger at Goldberg's Janette Grayson, claiming she orchestrates false reports. The neglect then takes a deadly turn and ADA Barba (Raúl Esparza) takes matters into his own hands and arrests Goldberg's character for manslaughter. Meanwhile, Dodds indicates changes to Benson's squad are in the works. Yikes.
Goldberg joins other season 17 guest stars including Virginia Madsen, who will play mother to Kelli Giddish's Detective Rollins, Orange Is the New Black's Adrienne C. Moore, Jefferson Mays and Dallas Roberts.
Aside from The View and voiceover work, Goldberg's last credited acting credit was Glee. Her other TV roles include 666 Park Ave., Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, 30 Rock, Everybody Hates Chris, The Cleaner and her own sitcom, Whoopi.
SVU returns for its landmark season 17—it's now the longest-running drama on TV—on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and the case is, you guessed it, ripped from the headlines. In the premiere, Roberts returns as Dr. Yates, the serial killer who terrorized the squad across Chicago PD and Chicago Fire as well. But there's a The Jinx twist to the case. Yes, a hot mic and Robert Durst-like confession. Plus victims found in garbage bags, the rich New Yorker angle…it's very much like the Durst case.
Here's what else know about SVU season 17: Tamara Tunie will be back as Dr. Warner in the season premiere and Rollins (Giddish) will be dealing with some more family drama. The Wednesday, Sept. 30 episode features a transgender teen case. Season 16 ended with Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson finally adopting baby Noah and Danny Pino's Nick Amaro leaving the squad. Law & Order: SVU also stars Ice-T and Peter Scanavino.
Law & Order: SVU returns on Wednesday, Sept. 23 with a super-sized premiere at 9 p.m. on NBC.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)