NBC will air the "Law & Order: SVU' Season 16 premiere episode, which is entitled "American Disgrace," on October 1 at 9 pm. ET. The network has released a teaser video about the episode, which led many to believe the story spins-off the recently viral Ray Rice and Jay Z elevator related scandals.

Stepping into the plot for Episode 1, a famous basketball player Shakir "The Shark" Wilkins is accused of rape by a PR employee of his own clothing line. However, the show throws in an added pop culture reference and has the 'Law & Order: SVU' characters draw evidence from elevator security footage.

For those who may not know, this is arguably a reference to two of the biggest celebrity scandals this year, the Jay Z and Solange fight, and the infamous Ray Rice video.

It's important to note that this reference might just be making a statement about elevator security footage. Since the recordings are of low quality, and have no audio, it may not be as damning as some would perceive it to be.

However, according to showrunner Warren Leight, in an interview with HuffPost Entertainment not long ago, the reference is there for different reasons. Apparently Leight is "trying to keep the show 10 minutes ahead of the news."

He went on to say "I loved the idea of just a silent black and white scene, then sound goes out," adding, "You kinda wanna know what's going on."

According to Huffington Post, Leight is trying to keep the show up with the times, and sync with the latest news leaks.

There's a good chance that other viral news story will be played upon in future episodes of 'Law & Order: SVU'. There's even some rumors floating about that the Donald Sterling scandal will be spun-off in an episode of the series.

'Law & Order: SVU' airs tonight at 9:00 pm. ET on NBC