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Law & Order: SVU, nan longest-running primetime play connected American television, is set to return for a 28th season connected NBC successful 2026-27, portion of a two-season pickup nan venerable crime play from Dick Wolf received past year.
The series’ early has agelong hinged connected its prima and executive shaper Mariska Hargitay‘s desire to transportation connected arsenic Detective Olivia Benson, a TV characteristic truthful iconic, Taylor Swift named her feline aft her.
So astatine NBCUniversal’s Emmy Kick-Off luncheon Wednesday, Hargitay, who won an Emmy for her domiciled successful 2006, was asked by Deadline whether she thinks SVU tin make it to 30 seasons.
“I do. How astir that? I do,” Hargitay said. “I emotion my show. I emotion my cast, I emotion my showrunner, my writers, my producers. I consciousness for illustration nan luckiest, happiest actress. I emotion Dick Wolf, and I’m truthful challenged still.”
That includes still striving for excellence aft 27 seasons.
“One of nan things that’s been truthful breathtaking is, we conscionable vanished Season 27,” Hargitay said. “I conscionable watched nan last section of Season 27, and I thought it was nan champion of nan season, and my best. What a measurement to decorativeness a play aft 27 years.”
The finale of SVU, successful its first play with Michele Fazekas arsenic showrunner, airs May 14.
“So, I don’t want to spell anyplace correct now,” Hargitay added. “It’s been amazing. The show really knows really to activity pinch my schedule — I changeable my movie, I figured retired really to do it, I’m going to do a play now connected Broadway.”
Hargitay directed and produced nan 2025 documentary My Mom Jayne about her mom, 1950s Hollywood prima Jayne Mansfield. She is making her Broadway debut successful nan solo play Every Brilliant Thing from May 26 to June 28.
“We are very good oiled machine, nan producers, we’re conscionable finely tuned, we are; we cognize really to do it,” she said.
Could SVU make it to 35 seasons then?
“I don’t know, let’s conscionable spell to 30 first,” Hargitay said, laughing.
For nan first 12 seasons of SVU, Hargitay’s Olivia Benson was collaborated pinch Elliot Stabler, played by Christopher Meloni. Stabler returned to nan L&O beingness successful 2021 arsenic nan lead of spinoff Organized Crime, pinch nan fan-favorite duo reuniting successful predominant crossovers complete nan past 5 years.
Following Deadline’s study past week that L&O: Organized Crime had been canceled, fans started posting photos of Benson and Stabler, pinch Hargitay writing “P4L” nether Meloni’s IG video successful which he bid farewell to his character.
Could Meloni now return to SVU successful immoderate capacity?
“I dream so,” Hargitay said. “That is simply a very heartening point for some of us, that our narration was truthful iconic culturally and that Benson and Stabler still resonates is profoundly meaningful to me, and Chris and I, I’m judge you know, are very, very close. He’s a very in-demand actor, truthful we’ll spot if nan schedule is lined up.”
Meloni is nan lead of Hulu’s upcoming NFL play bid The Land from This Is Us and Paradise creator Dan Fogelman.
“I emotion Chris and I emotion acting pinch Chris, truthful I’m ever unfastened to moving pinch him and getting Benson and Stabler together,” Hargitay said. “They’re happiest erstwhile they’re together.”
For Hargitay, SVU has agelong been much than a show arsenic she has been advocating for victims of intersexual assault, home violence, and kid maltreatment done her Joyful Heart Foundation.
“That’s why I don’t want to leave, because nan show really makes a difference,” she said. “And I perceive that each azygous day.”
