There’s no doubt, Law & Order: SVU is one of the best crime procedural dramas to ever air on American TV. In its 27th season, the Dick Wolf spinoff of the original Law & Order has been on NBC for over 26 years, earned several awards (including six Emmys), and continues to be a main staple of network television, having amassed millions of fans along the way. Additionally, the series holds the honor of being the longest-running live-action series in primetime history.
With all of that being said and taking a look back across the seasons, it’s easy for fans to come to some harsh realizations about the series. To be clear, these realities don’t take away from the greatness that is the show, but rather serve as food for thought when viewing future episodes. While one can almost certainly make note of many noteworthy realizations, let’s focus on these for now.
Here are 5 harsh realities of watching Law & Order: SVU for 26 seasons.
5
Elliot Was Entertaining but Often Went Too Far
Christopher Meloni’s tenure as Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU is arguably representative of the show’s golden years. It was captivating to see Elliot’s dynamic with Olivia (Mariska Hargitay), as they were loyal partners, great friends, and managed to have this romantic tension without actually acting upon it. Additionally, Elliot’s dedication to his job and passion for helping victims were admirable to watch during his tenure in the SVU squad room, as he went around like a modern-day cowboy policing the concrete jungle of New York City. However, looking at how Elliot pursued justice back then, many now can admit he was more than overzealous. In fact, today his behavior would have gotten him in serious trouble with his higher-ups to the point he’d likely have been fired.
Case in point, in season 4 episode 15, an episode titled “Pandora,” Elliot follows a lead on a suspect all the way to the Czech Republic. When questioning the suspect in custody about the sexual assault of children, Elliot allowed his frustration to grow to the point that he rolled up his sleeves and started wailing on the man, punching him in the stomach and hitting him in the throat. Although he wasn’t on American soil, as an officer of the law, he’s expected to exercise more restraint, even with a person accused of performing such a heinous crime.
In another example of excessive force, in the episode titled “Dependent” from season 8, Elliot chases after a suspect, a struggle breaks out, and then Elliot punches him hard, ultimately contributing to his death. However, Elliot manages to keep his job as it was discovered the suspect had a pre-existing cardiac issue.
These are just two examples that show Elliot went too far while working for SVU, but loyal watchers of the show know there are several more. So as entertaining as Elliot was years ago, he also made a habit of crossing the line.
4
Olivia May Have Missed Out on Her Best Shot at Love With Rafael Barba
Once Elliot left the show, there was a period when it seemed as if Olivia’s love life grew a bit stale, despite her not actually ever being with her former partner. Sure, she reunited with her ex Brian Cassidy (Dean Winters) at one point and was all in on a relationship with IAB Captain Ed Tucker (Robert John Burke) after that. However, her best shot at love may have been with someone she was never able to look at beyond a friend, ADA Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza).
During his time working as a New York City prosecutor, Rafael and Olivia grew to become great friends. He often lent her support when she found herself overwhelmed by the emotional toll working in SVU takes on a person. In return, she was there to reassure him that he was a great lawyer when the occasional court loss came along. So, when Barba decided to quit his job, it was understandably a disheartening moment for them both, as they would no longer be around each other on a daily basis.
Based on what’s been stated, it sounds as if Rafael and Olivia were meant to be nothing more than friends. However, in a subsequent episode that marked a return of Rafael, he and Olivia get into a disagreement about a client he represented against her wishes. As the two were hashing it out, he asked why she felt more anger toward him than she had ever felt toward Elliot.
Olivia quickly deflected, and he countered that she always defends Elliot, and “That’s what you do when you love somebody unconditionally.” Olivia again objected, but Rafael cut her off by concluding that he knew what it meant to love someone unconditionally, making sure to look her in the eyes as he said it. The takeaway from that conversation seemed to be that Rafael loves Olivia, but Olivia loves Elliot.
3
There’s One Controversial Episode That Will Likely Never Air
Back in 2016, during Law & Order: SVU‘s 18th season, the show was preparing to air an episode titled “Unstoppable.” The episode followed a billionaire politician who was running for office but found himself accused by several women of sexual assault. It was originally to air on October 12, but network execs decided to push the episode release date to November 16, wanting to debut the episode after the 2016 presidential election. Ultimately, however, NBC opted not to air the episode at all, despite a preview for it being released. Speaking on the episode, Law & Order: SVU‘s Ice-T, who portrays Fin, told Vanity Fair:
“There was this guy who was running for president—he was very Trump-ish, and girls were coming out of the woodwork saying he was raping them. And me and Mariska [Hargitay who plays Lt. Olivia Benson], we’re on his bumper, and he’s sweating it. But at the end of the day, it comes out that he was innocent. He didn’t do it. So we’ve got to apologize, and he’s still doing his thing, talking his sh*t. And it turns out that his campaign advisor, who was his best friend, was booby-trapping him because he knew he would be terrible for America!”
Ice-T also suggested in the interview that the episode wasn’t one of the show’s best. Plus, considering it’s been over nine years since the episode was shelved, it’s a safe bet it will never see the light of day.
2
Olivia’s Best Partner Was Actually Nick Amaro
Although Elliot served by Olivia’s side the longest, Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) was her best partner. She even hints at that herself in her final scene with Nick before he leaves for California to be near his children. During the discussion, he admits he realized that he wasn’t like what Elliot was to her. She confirmed that Nick wasn’t, but informed him that she had grown more in four years with him than she had with Elliot. Plus, she suggested her “relationship” with her former partner didn’t allow for her own personal growth. Olivia wrapped up the conversation by calling Nick a “friend for life.”
To Olivia’s point, when she was partnered with Nick, she was promoted to lieutenant and was able to create her family with her son, Noah (Ryan Buggle). And despite the initial difficulty with striking a balance between work and home life, she managed to do so in stride, thanks to the community she’s built in Fin, Carisi (Peter Scanavino), and Rollins (Kelly Giddish). It’s genuinely touching to see her now have the family she’s longed for throughout the years.
1
Benson and Stabler May Never Be #Stenson
Despite seeing the value in Olivia coupling up with Rafael Barba, millions of fans will argue that the love of Olivia’s life is Elliot. Although he was married when she fell for him, he abruptly left SVU and didn’t talk to her for a decade, and the two have never shared a kiss in 26 years (there was one close moment in season 24), there is still a good portion of the show’s audience who are championing for the pair to become a power couple.
Those calling for #Stenson point to several reasons why they should be together. First up, there’s the fact that Olivia and Elliot do share an undeniable pull to each other. One might say they’ve each been their most vulnerable with each other rather than with their other respective romantic partners. Heck, even Elliot’s wife, Kathy (Isabel Gillies), could recognize this when she was alive, hence her few moments of jealousy. Speaking of Kathy, when she was killed off the show, many members of the audience claimed there was no longer an “obstacle” standing in the way of Olivia and Elliot being together.
Adding to this, during an interview with Today, Hargitay shared, “Stabler’s in love with Benson. Hello!” Additionally, Ice-T suggested in Entertainment Weekly that he was in full support of Olivia and Elliot finally hooking up. So does all this add up to #Stenson happening soon? It’s probably not wise for people to hold their breath, considering it’s been over 26 years and it hasn’t happened yet.
Law and Order: SVU
- Release Date
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September 20, 1999
- Network
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NBC
- Showrunner
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Robert Palm, David J. Burke, Neal Baer, Warren Leight, Rick Eid, Michael S. Chernuchin, David Graziano