The Law & Order franchise is known for many things after more than thirty years on the air, but is there any element more iconic to this day than the partnership of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler? Even more than a decade after Christopher Meloni left Law & Order: SVU with Mariska Hargitay staying on, fans are invested in Benson and Stabler, as proven by the reactions to the most recent episode that featured both characters. Now, Hargitay has revealed that a crossover is coming between SVU and Meloni's Organized Crime before the end of the 2022-2023 TV season, and her use of "#Bensler" is sure to build the hype already.
On the heels of the news that Kelli Giddish is set to reprise her role as Amanda Rollins in the Season 3 penultimate episode of Organized Crime and the Season 24 finale of SVU, Mariska Hargitay took to Instagram to drop a behind-the-scenes photo of her filming with Christopher Meloni, and it certainly doesn't look like Benson and Stabler are just discussing the facts of a case. Check it out:
It's hard to glean much from the photo of the monitor while Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni were filming together, but we can say that 1) it's dark, 2) no other actors seem to be present, and 3) it looks like they're in an office or squad room rather than anybody's apartment like their last scene. Benson also doesn't look freaked out or frantic, so it seems safe to guess that Stabler hasn't sprung a declaration on her again like he did at the end of the gang arc (which the actors nailed).
Of course, not all fans were thrilled that the much-hyped reunion between Benson and Stabler earlier in SVU's current season didn't result in any big change, although I'm on the record as a fan of their layered dynamic who doesn't need it to become romantic. (And am still slightly mad at Stabler for ghosting Benson for a decade.)
Whatever the reason for them coming together again for crossover, I'm just excited at the idea of the former partners sharing an actual conversation on screen! Plus, based on the next photo that Mariska Hargitay posted, she was having fun working with Meloni again:
I can't say that I ever expected anything related to an SVU/Organized Crime crossover to make me want to rewatch the wonderful Tangled (or compare Stabler to a Disney princess), but I'm on board! Without any context, it's hard to say anything other than that this is a cool shot from below and Mariska Hargitay's caption of "#CrossoverComing" suggests that this might not just be a case of one of the stars popping over to the other's show for a scene. Unfortunately, we can only wait and see if we're in for a two-parter!
For now, we can also only speculate about what brings the former partners together and lets Hargitay and Meloni share the screen again. The news that Kelli Giddish will appear on both OC and SVU before the end of the season could suggest that whatever brings her back carries over into both shows. Still, based on what another Law & Order franchise star said about the challenges of crossovers, I'd say that fans shouldn't raise their expectations too high about what may or may not happen by the finale.
The unquestionable good news is that Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime (as well as the original Law & Order and three One Chicago shows) were all renewed for the 2023-2024 TV season, giving the stars something to celebrate. All three Law & Order series are currently on a short break, but will return to NBC with new episodes on Thursday, April 27.
If the upcoming crossover – whether it's a two-parter between SVU and OC or just Chris Meloni popping over to his former show to film with Mariska Hargitay – is proof that that the behind-the-scenes showrunner change resulted in closer ties between the two shows, then I'm all for more of it.
