'Law & Order: SVU' Season 14 and 'Chicago Fire' picked up by NBC

"Law & Order: SVU" will return for a 14th season in the fall, and its creator, Dick Wolf, will also have a new show on the network, "Chicago Fire."

"SVU" star Ice-T and showrunner Warren Leight tweeted about their show's renewal Wednesday (May 9). The pickup was expected after Mariska Hargitay signed a new contract in April.

"SVU" has suffered some ratings declines this season. It's averaging 7.6 million viewers and a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49, down about 15 percent from 2010-11. Among NBC's dramas this season, though, only "Smash" (3.3) and "Parenthood" (2.6) have better 18-49 numbers. With the network expected to do a pretty heavy overhaul for next season, having a little stability could be a good thing.

Wolf is also executive producing "Chicago Fire," a drama from writers Michael Brandt and Derek Haas ("3:10 to Yuma," "Wanted") about firefighters in the Windy City. It stars Taylor Kinney ("The Vampire Diaries"), Jesse Spencer ("House"), Monica Raymund ("Lie to Me"), Eamonn Walker ("Kings," "Oz") and Lauren German ("Hawaii Five-0"), among others. Here's a look at the cast:

NBC will announce its 2012-13 schedule on Sunday and offer the first look at its new shows Monday at its upfront presentation.