‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Wants Stabler and Benson Together, Says Mariska Hargitay
Their shows may no longer be on the same network, but longtime Law & Order characters Eliot Stabler and Olivia Benson will meet again. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star and producer Mariska Hargitay has plans to reunite with her onetime costar Christopher Meloni, who currently stars on Law & Order: Organized Crime. Variety spoke with Hargitay at the show’s For Your Consideration event for the upcoming Emmy Awards.
Special Victims Unit and Organized Crimecrossed over multiple times during the latter show’s first three seasons, giving Benson and Stabler (who were partnered on Special Victims Unit for its first twelve seasons) plenty of time to renew their acquaintances – and tease the fans with their long-running “will-they-or-won’t-they” relationship. However, the shows did not cross over in their most recent seasons, save for the odd phone call with the recipient off-screen and unheard. Don’t expect that state of affairs to continue, says Hargitay, who has another crossover in the works: “I’m actually planning on it. I just told him the other day. We had a party the other night, we saw each other. It was heavenly. I met his showrunner. They want us together, and Chris and I were talking about it, and it’s time. It’s time now for us. This was a long time not being in each other’s universe. That’s why we did the calls and stuff like that. But we’re excited to get back in there, get back in the ring.”
What is the Relationship Between Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson?
Partnered from Special Victims Unit’s pilot episode all the way back in 1999, to the 12th-season finale, after which Meloni left the series, Detectives Stabler and Benson were solid partners and good friends – but Stabler was married, nothing more, despite the actors’ intense chemistry. However, after a prolonged absence, Stabler returned to the Law & Order universe when his wife was killed in a car bombing; he was spun off into his own series, Organized Crime, and the writers ramped up the romantic tension between the two during their frequent appearances on each other’s shows. The characters nearly kissed in season 24 – and, indeed, the moment was teased in an episode promo. However, while Hargitay and Meloni wanted one thing, Law & Order mastermind Dick Wolf wanted another, and the moment was cut. For now, it remains to be seen if this long-running will-they-or-won’t-they relationship ends with a “will” or a “won’t”.
Both Special Victims Unit and Organized Crime will be back next season, but don’t look for the latter on NBC – the series will now air its new episodes on NBC’s streaming service Peacock. NBC executive Jeff Bader described the move as “a win-win for us – 80% of its viewing isn’t in the time period where we schedule it, it’s delayed on Peacock, so it just made sense to move that to free up the time period.”
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime wrapped up their twenty-fifth and fourth seasons, respectively, last week; they will both return for new seasons in the fall. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
