'Law & Order: SVU' season 18 news: Donald Trump-inspired episode delayed

NBC has postponed the airing of a "Law & Order: SVU" season 18 episode featuring a Donald Trump-like character.

The network decided on Friday, Oct. 14, to put the episode titled "Unstoppable" on the back burner, possibly until the votes for the fast-approaching U.S. presidential election have been cast and tallied.

News of the Donald Trump-inspired episode broke last week. It was slated for Wednesday, Oct. 26, less than a couple of weeks before the election on Nov. 8. NBC has not announced a new air date for the episode.

"The episode originally scheduled for October 26 has been postponed. It has not yet been assigned a new air date," an NBC spokesperson told CNN in a statement. 

According to its logline, "Unstoppable," which features Emmy-nominated guest star Gary Cole as the Trump-like character, follows the story of a politician whose "campaign goes haywire when several women go public with damaging accusations."

The episode comes after the recent release of a 2005 audio tape of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump making graphic comments about women while chatting with former "Access Hollywood" correspondent Billy Bush. Trump has since attempted to brush off the incident, saying that his comments were nothing but "locker room talk." Bush, a host on NBC's "The Today Show," has since been suspended from his gig.

According to Variety, NBC made the decision to drop the episode in the aftermath of Trump and Bush's recording controversy. Following the audio's release, at least four women have come forward accusing Trump of sexual assault and sexual misconduct.

Variety also reports that the episode was finished more than a month ago, but that it has undergone a series of story adjustments that have reportedly raised eyebrows among the show's cast and crew.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly earlier this month, "Law & Order: SVU" showrunner Rick Eid teased that the police procedural drama may portray the Republican presidential candidate, saying, "It's possible we will explore some sort of zeitgeist political-themed episode involving an iconoclastic candidate."

"But I guess, overall, the idea is that we continue to be inspired by real events and topical events and things that are in the zeitgeist," he added.

NBC has yet to explain its decision to reschedule "Unstoppable."

KNBC, which is owned and operated by NBC, has been solely responsible for the production and distribution of "Access Hollywood" since 2004.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" season 18 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EDT on NBC.