Law & Order: SVU has been a staple on television for 25 years, showing no signs of slowing down. The show’s longevity has led many to wonder if it will ever truly come to an end. According to one showrunner, the fate of SVU rests squarely in the hands of its star, Mariska Hargitay.
Mariska Hargitay: The Power Behind Law & Order: SVU
Since its debut in 1999, Mariska Hargitay has been the heart and soul of Law & Order: SVU. She has witnessed numerous cast members come and go, yet she and Ice-T have remained constants. Hargitay herself finds the show’s endurance astonishing but also can’t envision it ever concluding.
“I have two diametrically opposed answers,” Hargitay shared with People regarding the show’s 25-year run. “One is I can’t believe it’s been 25 years, a quarter of a century. And the other is, I can’t see it any other way. I can’t imagine the show ending, and can’t imagine not going on this journey with my cast, my crew. I have so much to look forward to. And I’m still growing. I like that you can be so many things at one time. It’s learning to give yourself permission to be all of yourself.”
Having outlasted several showrunners, Hargitay’s commitment is clear. Michael Chernuchin, one of the more recent showrunners, echoed this sentiment, suggesting that SVU should continue as long as Hargitay wishes.
“I don’t see any reason why this show will end,” Chernuchin told TV Guide. “[We’re going to continue] until Mariska says, ‘let’s end it,’ because we’re dealing with things that are on the front page in the papers every day. Now, more than ever.”
Imagining the End of Law & Order: SVU
While Chernuchin could not fathom a series finale at the time, Hargitay has considered how she’d like Olivia Benson’s story to conclude.
“I hope that she can get to a point where she feels like she’s done enough service and it’s time to rest and be and see the best that life has to offer,” Hargitay expressed in an interview with E! News. “Because she’s spent so much time in the darkest of what life has to offer.”
Endless Stories: The Key to SVU’s Longevity
Many shows end when they run out of stories to tell, but Hargitay believes this will never be an issue for SVU. The series draws from real-life headlines, providing an endless well of material.
“I look at the news every day and see the issues and crimes we deal with continually making headlines and being debated as legal issues pushing new and renewed legislation — such as the Violence Against Women Act — and as social issues affecting women and society as a whole. SVU is able to start conversations and humanize these problems,” she explained in a separate TV Guide interview.
Hargitay cited specific examples to illustrate her point.
“We are able to show all sides of an issue, as we did with our Domestic Violence episode this fall, in an episode that portrayed institutionalized racism [and was nominated for an NAACP Award], the episodes where we both educated and explored the rise in rapes on college campuses — and even in the episode that explored the problem of the rape kit backlog. I feel very fortunate that our show is in a position where we can start a conversation on national TV about these issues in a way that people can empathize with and see the human element involved.”
As long as real-world issues continue to inspire new storylines, and as long as Mariska Hargitay remains at the helm, it seems Law & Order: SVU will keep engaging audiences for years to come.
