The New L&O: SVU question

I only watch SVU in reruns because the material is too questionable for dd and I have enough going on my DVR. Anyway since nothing was on last night I DVR-ed the new episode and watched it at our 9 o'clock hour. My question is...Is Munch even on the show anymore? He wasn't on any of the episode last night. I thought I saw him in the opening credits so my thought was he took over and is the head of the detectives. Can anyone else fill me in? Plus the Blond detective keeps throwing me off because they had SO MANY blond ADA's I keep thinking she is a lawyer and was taken by surprise every time I saw her with a badge.