Law & Order: SVU is preparing for its 28th season on the 2026 TV schedule, and it’s hard to believe the show has been around for almost three decades. That also means Mariska Hargitay has been portraying the same character for almost three decades. However, there was a time when she considered saying goodbye to Olivia Benson, and she got a four-word response from Julianna Margulies about why that wasn't an option.
If Hargitay chooses to truly leave SVU, it can be assumed that the show would be ending because if there’s no Olivia Benson, there’s no SVU. Just a few years ago, that very nearly happened. The 2026 Emmys host told Variety that she was thinking about stepping away around Season 25. She recalled a conversation she had with Margulies about it, and the hard truth The Good Wife star shared:
I said, ‘I’ve got to leave the show too. I don’t want people to think I’m a one-trick pony.’ And she goes, ‘Sweetheart, that ship’s sailed.’
Hargitay and Margulies briefly worked together when Hargitay recurred on ER during Season 4. Margulies ended up leaving the long-running medical drama after Season 6 to branch out more in her own career. So she would definitely know a thing or two about departing a hit drama.
However, being on a show for over 20 years, it can take a toll on you, especially if that’s all you do. That being said, Hargitay thought about her career outside of SVU, especially now, and there’s so much she’s been able to do and will do while still playing Olivia Benson. Overall, she seems pretty content with how things are:
Do I want to quit now? No. Why? I made a movie while shooting; I did a play for six weeks on hiatus. I’m hosting the Emmys. Next summer, if I don’t make another movie, I’ll probably do another play. And I love it!
A lot of actors have managed to do other projects while working on a television show, and even though it probably isn’t easy, it’s not impossible. Hargitay has definitely been putting in the work. Almost as soon as SVU Season 27 wrapped filming, she made her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing. Her run ended right before filming for Season 28 began. Plus, as she stated, she also filmed a movie while shooting her TV show. Plenty of actors shoot more than one project at the same time, and this kind of schedule is perfectly normal and manageable, it seems.
Hearing that Hargitay has no plans to leave SVU is such a relief. Of course, NBC or Dick Wolf could always choose to end it whenever, but the series has been a staple on the network since 1999. I can’t imagine SVU, or at least any part of the Law & Order franchise, not on television. Even though the series and the franchise will have to end at some point, I’m happy to know that Magulies’ response and Hargitay’s enthusiasm to do more while still on the show is helping to keep it going.
Now that SVU is not going anywhere, fans can look forward to the new season. Season 28 will premiere on Thursday, October 8 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.
