The 2025 TV schedule has a treat for fans of Dick Wolf's nine-show TV universe, with a two-part primetime crossover event between Law & Order Season 24 and Law & Order: SVU Season 26. With more than two years since the last time both shows were brought together for a multi-parter, the crossover has been a long time coming. It also teamed Reid Scott's Detective Vincent Riley up with Mariska Hargitay's iconic Captain Olivia Benson for the first time, and he was overflowing with compliments for her when he spoke with CinemaBlend.
I recently spoke with Reid Scott about Riley "getting triggered" in a big episode for his character, which is available streaming with a Peacock subscription now. He also shared why he's a fan of Law & Order embracing "unsatisfying" endings in Season 24, but nothing sounds unsatisfying about the crossover on April 17, based on how he described it. He shared:
I loved it. I was a little nervous because I hadn't been part of a crossover yet, and it's so unique to Law & Order and the Dick Wolf universe. I was like, 'Oh, man, what's it's going to be like to have them over to our world for a minute?' And I had so much fun doing that. Not only does it sort of refresh and reinvigorate you because you're playing with all these new people, but I love the story that it allows us to play with. It's a huge case, and it's a huge episode.
Mariska Hargitay appeared on Law & Order way back in early Season 24, but that was more like a cameo than Benson properly crossing over as part of the case from start to finish. That's not going to be the case this time around. With the episodes called "Play With Fire Part 1" and "Play With Fire Part 2," Benson will be brought into the Law & Order mix after a mysterious phone call and a brutal murder.
True to form, the SVU half of the crossover incorporates sexually-based offenses. All in all, it sounds like a grim pair of episodes, but Reid Scott had a lot of fun while filming it. He went on:
I'll fan out for a second – it was just fun to hang with Mariska. She is an absolute trip, and she and I had so much fun, cracking each other up between takes. She's just such a ball of energy that I was really inspired. I was like, 'Wow. This is how you get to be someone like her.' She brings this incredible work ethic, this incredible energy. She really is a leader. She's a quarterback, and I hope to get to do more of the [crossovers]. I hope they loan me out to the SVU world one of these days, because it would be fun to go over there. But it was a great mash up and just really unique, really unique. I loved it.
It's always great to hear new takes on working with Mariska Hargitay, because the consensus seems to be that it's always a great experience. Ryan Buggle, who plays Benson's son on SVU, told CinemaBlend that his "favorite thing" he learned from Hargitay is to always "act with your heart and only act because you love performing." Season 26 guest star Donna Lynne Champlin, whose episode included a twist on the usual SVU format, told me that the leading lady is "so clearly loved and respected on that set."
Ice-T, who is Mariska Hargitay's longest-running co-star by this point, shared that he thinks "the show will stay on as long as Mariska wants to do" it and "it's her show." Christopher Meloni even raved about knowing she was a great actress from the very beginning, telling Kelly Clarkson on The Kelly Clarkson Show that he knew he was "as good as gold" to be cast on SVU as soon as he was paired with Hargitay.
And those are just the people who have known her in person! Hargitay herself shared that celebrities always want to play dead bodies to be on SVU, and there's a reason why she had Olympians freaking out in Paris and Taylor Swift named one of her cats "Olivia" in a nod to the TV character.
Suffice it to say that Reid Scott is in good company in his praise of the leading lady. While he didn't want to spoil all the twists and turns, he went on to share one plot point that brings Riley and Benson together:
The episode itself is fantastic. It covers a lot of ground. I don't want to give too many spoilers on it, but I will say that there was one moment where Mariska and I are just discovering the body, because every episode has a body, and this particular body is unlike anything that I had seen in my two years here at Law and Order. It was really something, and I think it's going to make for one of the most cinematic episodes we've ever had. It just looks beautiful, and it's a really important story. It's a really important case.
The wait is nearly over to see the Law & Order/SVU crossover, but I think it's already a safe bet that Riley and Benson aren't going to be cracking each other up quite like Reid Scott and Mariska Hargitay were between scenes. For now, check out the promo for the two-parter:
Tune in to NBC on Thursday, April 17 starting at 8 p.m. ET for the doubleheader of Dick Wolf TV action with Law & Order and SVU crossing over. The Season 5 premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime will air in its old 10 p.m. ET time slot that night as well, although the rest of the ten-episode fifth season will stream exclusively on Peacock.
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