‘Law & Order: SVU,’ I’m Begging You, Bring Back This Legacy Character for Season 27

In the 26 years Law and Order: Special Victims Unit has been on the air, it has gone through many cast shake-ups, some big, some small, and some that felt impossible to come back from. Because of the constantly rotating cast, fans of the show have gotten to meet so many brilliant characters that make SVU the hit show it is today. It’s not just the detectives who keep the show afloat, but it’s the side characters that help bring perps to justice and get to the bottom of a case. These include the medical examiners, the psychiatrists, and, of course, the ADAs.

SVU has gone through a revolving door of ADAs throughout its run, but the first ever was Alex Cabot (Stephanie March). Nowadays, Carisi (Peter Scanavino) keeps the law side of the show handled, but before him, there were many others. There was Casey Novak (Diane Neal), who took over after Cabot departed, and fan-favorite Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza), but it was Cabot who laid the foundation for them all. She brought the law to Law and Order: SVU, and I need the show to bring her back.

Alex Cabot Is ‘Law & Order: SVU’s Strongest ADA

It’s only natural that fans have varying opinions on who their favorite characters are, and especially who their favorite ADA is, but no matter your favorite, there’s no denying that Cabot was a strong character — not just in terms of her job, but as a person. She arrived in the wave of new characters alongside Fin (Ice-T) and Dr. Huang (BD Wong) in Season 2, and she immediately had chemistry with the squad. And let’s be honest here, the SVU gang can be a little clique-y, so that was a huge accomplishment in and of itself. She remained the unit’s ADA until Season 5, when she set out to prosecute a drug cartel and ended up being their next target. She gets shot in front of Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler, and is pronounced dead, leaving the squad in shock. But it’s later revealed that she survived the attack and has actually faked her death in order to go into witness protection. She returns in Season 6 to testify against her attacker, but goes back into WITSEC afterward.

We don’t see Cabot again until Season 10, when she replaces Greylek (Michaela McManus) as the squad’s ADA, and again in Season 13 when she and Novak share the ADA duties. However, it’s her most recent appearance in Season 19 that sticks out as the most memorable because it’s so different from the Cabot we’re used to. In the episode “Sunk Cost Fallacy,” the squad is looking for a missing woman and her daughter, and the case leads Benson to Cabot, who has been helping battered women “disappear” by getting them new identities and sending them far away.

This doesn’t sit right with Benson, who accuses Cabot of breaking the law, but Cabot tells her that she’s finally opened her eyes and has realized that she’s doing more to help people now than she ever did in her line of work. It’s a fascinating change, and one that works so well with what we know about her character. After all, she herself had to flee and change her identity for her safety, and she knows firsthand what that’s like. She’s also seen countless times how the system fails people. It may not be lawful, but it’s admirable, and it’s those complexities that I think make Cabot such a brilliant character.

‘Law & Order: SVU’ Season 27 Is the Perfect Time To Bring Alex Cabot Back

There are many reasons Cabot should return. For starters, we haven’t seen her since Season 19, when we learned about her helping women “disappear.” It would be great to see the show dive into that more, especially since Benson was so against the idea at first. SVU is a show that doesn’t always give satisfying conclusions (similar to the justice system), so Cabot’s storyline is an intriguing juxtaposition to the usual episodes.

Secondly, it’s been announced that Kelli Giddish is returning for Season 27 to reprise her role as Rollins. This is exciting in and of itself since Rollins was a fan favorite, but it also means that the show will likely be digging into Carisi’s character and his trauma after being held hostage in Season 26. He’s been claiming that he’s fine and doesn’t need to seek therapy for it, but as the season went on, it became clear that it had affected him more than he said. Season 27 will likely see him needing to release some of that tension by seeking help and leaning on his loved ones, so who better to fill in as ADA than Cabot? Of course, this could also pose an issue, considering the last we saw of her, she had taken a major step back from being a lawyer. But regardless, her presence could be beneficial to both the squad and Carisi, even if it’s just guiding him in his time of need.

Any time Cabot returns to SVU, I’m thrilled, and I know that bringing her back for Season 27 would certainly help to boost ratings. After all, nostalgia sells. Not to mention, Stephanie March herself has said she’d gladly return to the series and has told fans to make a write-in campaign for it. So, Stephanie, this is my official write-in campaign. Please come back to SVU for Season 27. I beg of you.