The Real Reason Olivia Benson & Elliot Stabler Can’t Be Together In Law & Order

There is a reason that the Law and Order franchise is keeping Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) apart for the moment. The pair had off-the-charts chemistry when they worked together during the first 12 seasons of Law & Order: SVU, but Stabler was married with five children, so it was unlikely anything would ever happen. However, Law & Order: SVU‘s Benson and Stabler relationship timeline suggests that the pair had deeper feelings for one another than they were willing to admit.

Stabler returned in 2021, and his wife was murdered almost immediately. While Law & Order: Organized Crime‘s first season focused on Stabler’s quest to get justice after Kathy’s (Isabel Gillies) death, her murder also cleared the path for Benson and Stabler to eventually get together. While this initially appeared to be the case, Law & Order: SVU made the mistake of ignoring Benson and Stabler’s relationship in recent seasons, leaving their potential relationship in limbo.

Meloni’s Law & Order Return Revived Stabler & Benson’s Romance Hopes

After A 10-Year Absence, There Was Finally Hope For The Couple

Stabler’s exit from Law & Order: SVU was one of the most disappointing in the franchise. His final episode is one of Law & Order: SVU‘s saddest episodes, as he is forced to fatally shoot a young girl who steals a gun and opens fire in the squad room because she’s angry that her mother isn’t getting justice after a rape. Thus, it is understandable that Stabler would decide to leave the unit afterward. However, he left without saying goodbye to Benson, which threw cold water on any hope of romance between the two.

Thus, when Stabler returned 10 years later, audiences were excited about the possibility that he and Benson might get together, especially after Kathy’s death removed the biggest obstacle in their path. The early seasons of Law & Order: Organized Crime dropped hints that the two were destined to be a couple, including Richard Wheatley using Stabler’s secret feelings against him and Stabler blurting out that he loved Benson during an intervention attempt. Unfortunately, these moments went nowhere, and progress in this relationship has been non-existent for the past few years.

Law & Order Can’t Move Benson & Stabler’s Relationship Forward Because They Are In Different Shows

It Would Be Logistically Difficult Since The Two Are Rarely In The Same Episode

Since Stabler appears primarily in Law & Order: Organized Crime, while Benson stars in Law & Order: SVU, it would be difficult for their relationship to progress beyond the thinking stage, as the pair don’t often share scenes. The two shows made it work in Law & Order: Organized Crime‘s early seasons by having them talk or see each other occasionally. Meanwhile, in other episodes, Benson talked with Rollins about Stabler, or Bell asked Stabler about his and Benson’s relationship status.

This technique works better while Benson and Stabler are in denial about their feelings for each other. Once they are together, it would get tedious for other characters to talk about their relationship instead of it being depicted on-screen. Law & Order: SVU currently has a similar dilemma with Rollins and Carisi. Rollins appears sporadically, while Carisi is part of Benson’s Law & Order: SVU season 26 team. Rollins’ disappearances are explained by her being away on a mission. While this works to a degree, it would feel redundant if Benson and Stabler were also written this way.

How The Law & Order Franchise Can Bring Benson & Stabler Together?

There Are Several Options, But It Would Be Difficult

Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime have been completely ignoring Benson and Stabler’s relationship, with Benson lending Eileen Flynn the compass necklace Stabler gave her and the two barely talking. Law & Order: SVU season 25 also missed obvious crossover appearances, making it appear the franchise is determined to pretend that Stabler doesn’t exist while Law & Order: Organized Crime is in limbo. Supposedly, Benson will cross over to Stabler’s series once it finally premieres on Peacock, but without a solid release date, that means little.

It wouldn’t work for Benson and Stabler to develop a romantic relationship unless the Law and Order franchise is willing to invest in frequent crossover appearances, so that the characters can consistently build their relationship over time. It also wouldn’t work well for Stabler to return to Law & Order: SVU, considering Benson is now the head of the unit. Thus, the best the series can do right now is to wait until Law & Order: SVU eventually ends and allow Benson and Stabler to get together romantically during the series finale.