Season 25 of Law & Order: SVU has been dropping some major hints that this might be Captain Olivia Benson’s final run.
After twenty-five years on the air, Law & Order: SVU has been building an undeniable legacy. From memorable characters and storylines to real-world effects that transcend the fourth wall, there’s no denying that this procedural is about as iconic as it comes. Truthfully, a huge part of that is down to its consistent lead actress (and executive producer), Mariska Hargitay, as Captain Olivia Benson.
But nothing can truly last forever. The original Law & Order series ended after twenty seasons in 2010. And even though it is recently back on screens after twelve years away, it feels a bit like a new show coming into place. Twenty-five back-to-back years on the air, though, is quite a feat and a lot has changed in that quarter of a century — political correctness and societal perceptions have evolved, characters have come and gone, technology has taken a massive leap from pagers to smartphones, and more. But something about this season has felt even more different, particularly when it comes to Olivia Benson, leading many fans to wonder the same thing: is this setting up to be Benson’s final year on the force?
Olivia Benson’s Law & Order: SVU Legacy
There’s no denying that the long-beating heart of SVU has been Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson. As audiences watched her character evolve from Detective to Lieutenant to Captain, she’s driven the story forward through multiple eras and lived through some of the most iconic and heartbreaking story arcs. There’s a reason she’s the face of the show and a hero so ubiquitous and beloved, Taylor Swift even famously named one of her cats after the character.
Benson was introduced as a complex, layered character from the very start. As a fierce advocate for victims, she joined the force after uncovering that she was the product of her father’s assault of her mother. When the show begins, Benson is an SVU detective paired with the often hot-tempered but fiercely loyal Detective Elliot Stabler. Though Stabler was married with a whole brood of kids — and nothing physical ever happened between the two — their more-than-just-parnters-and-friends chemistry was palpable. When Christopher Meloni exited the show after Season 12, it was an adjustment for a Stabler-less SVU. But it was in the absence of Stabler that Hargitay truly shone and proved that it is Benson — and Benson all but alone — that is the star, heart, and soul of the series.
Throughout Olivia Benson’s twenty-five years, she’s evolved in career rank and lived some of the most harrowing and fulfilling storylines. Audiences were on edge through her abduction by killer and rapist William Lewis or her harrowing close-call during an undercover stint in a prison to catch a guard who was assaulting inmates. On the flip side, viewers were invited further into her emotional world during her familiar journey, from learning about the existence of her half-brother Simon through meeting him and, sadly, through his untimely death. Throughout the series, Benson has also become a mother, adopting and raising baby Noah, also a product of his father’s rape, and bringing her emotional journey full circle.
Benson’s strong, intelligent, and empathetic nature and enduring wit have made her an icon and a role model not only for young girls but also for what a police officer truly should be. Outside of the show, Mariska Hargitay herself has used her platform to push forward protective laws and actions for survivors of sexual abuse. Benson goes far beyond just a character and has made lasting real-world impacts.
How Season 25 Sets Up Benson’s Retirement
After twenty-five years, the current season of SVU has felt a little different. Twenty-five years is a major milestone and it has undeniably felt like the pieces and players are being set for Benson’s exit. From the season premiere onward, something’s a little off.
Of course, celebrating twenty-five years of Benson should be a given. But the way it’s been woven in has been at odds with what came before, standing apart in a way that feels like foreshadowing. The season premiere episode ended with an unusual and rather Batman-like voiceover of Benson reflecting on her twenty-five years on the job, something the show has never done before. It felt like a reflection on an era coming to a close, a reassurance that she’s made a mark, and the beginning of the end of her current chapter while setting a hopeful stage for what lies ahead.
A somewhat unusual continuing story arc also monopolized most of the first third of the current season. When Benson realizes she saw a kidnapped girl being driven away before her abduction was reported, she becomes obsessed with the case. The girl, Maddie, goes so far as to wear her friendship bracelet and uncharacteristically disturbs evidence when checking out Maddie’s room and when finding her bracelet in the abductor’s abandoned van. The case becomes so all-encompassing to Benson that others around her question her tunnel vision and preoccupation regarding this girl. Seeing Benson consumed by regret, guilt, and obsession to this degree has been jarring. Part of it highlights a slip in her usual emotional and mental resolve in leading this squad for the past several years. Is the job finally cracking her?
Outside the Maddie case, multiple characters in her life, from ADA Sonny Carisi to longtime friend Detective Odafin Tutuola and even newer recurring detectives, have casually inquired about her personal life. Does she have something outside of the force? Is she supported emotionally? She continually sports Stabler’s compass necklace gift, hinting at that connection and the invisible string of ‘Bensler’ romance still important in her life.
Though audiences had to say goodbye to Detective Amanda Rollins — and Benon’s best friend — in Season 24, fans have been hopeful for her return, especially following her guest appearance on sister show Law & Order: Organized Crime at the end of that same year. However, in recent episodes of SVU, it feels like they’ve brought in a next-generation replacement for Rollins in fellow female officer Agent Sykes. They’re also paving the way for a captain’s transition, with IAB Agent Renee Curry joining SVU as a co-captain.
Should SVU Even Continue Without Mariska Hargitay?
The Dick Wolf Law & Order universe has proven that it has a lot of staying power, and Law & Order: SVU, in particular, has proven it can weather almost any kind of change, external or internal, and keep on dominating the pop culture conversation. But a “jump the shark” moment always comes for every long-running story. While SVU has had some close calls, they’ve always been able to pull it back in and keep things moving naturally. And that all comes down to Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson.
As the established North Star of the show, even when SVU is at its lowest, she’s the reason people still tune in and the character audiences are invested in. Recent criticisms of the series have noted that it has lost some of its sharpness and once-undeniable touch. Coupled with a notorious revolving door of cast members, viewers aren’t likely to get invested in new characters even if they didn’t have to overcome the “not-Benson” of it all.
Olivia Benson has been on and fully exemplified SVU for twenty-five years – is it disrespectful to continue without her? Many fans not only grew up with the series but were born after it premiered and have never known a world without Benson. In rare cases, star characters become more than the shows they originate from to become symbols and Olivia Benson is one of them. If this is truly the end of Benson’s story, let it be the end of the show, too.
