In an apparent tip of the hat to the previous longest running scripted TV drama on U.S television, at the beginning of this episode there is a TV in the upper right corner of the scene playing a black and white episode of Gunsmoke (1955)
This episode is inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal, who had been the subject of ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct that first emerged in The New York Times and the #MeToo movement.
This episode marks the return of Warren Leight as showrunner; he departed SVU after helming the show from seasons 13 to 17.
This episode marks television history as the first prime time drama in the USA to go past a 20th season into season 21.. However, the British hospital drama Casualty (1986) began airing season 34 more than a month earlier.
Carisi had passed the bar exam four years earlier in the season 17 episode Intersecting Lives (2016). However, he decided to hold off on becoming an ADA due to the death of Mike Dodds, which he told Rafael Barba in the episode Heartfelt Passages (2016)