Law And Order: SVU's Kelli Giddish Reveals Another Perk Of Christopher Meloni's Return As Elliot Stabler
Law & Order: SVU has been going strong for more than two decades now, and launched a spinoff earlier this spring that was winning big in the ratings right off the bat. Of course, starring former SVU leading man Christopher Meloni in his big return to the role of Elliot Stabler all but guaranteed that Law & Order: Organized Crime would be a hit, but based on some comments from SVU actress Kelli Giddish, there is another perk to Meloni coming back and reuniting with Mariska Hargitay's Benson.
Kelli Giddish, whose Rollins has developed a fan-favorite dynamic with Peter Scanavino's Carisi, spoke with CinemaBlend about Law & Order: SVU Season 22 and the return of Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler. With Rollins/Carisi as arguably the closest bond that developed on SVU since the days of the Benson/Stabler partnership, I asked the actress for her thoughts on comparisons between the two duos, and Giddish responded:
While plenty of fans would undoubtedly love their own window into Benson's mind when it comes to who Stabler was and is to her, Rollins and Benson's relationship developing further because of his return can only be a good thing. With Stabler's return not exactly coming without strings attached and Rollins dealing with her dad drama on top of what the reveal of Carisi's relationship could mean for that duo, Benson and Rollins could probably both use a port in the storm! I would definitely say that this is another perk of Christopher Meloni's return as Stabler.
And the return of Stabler isn't the only reason for Rollins and Benson to open up to each other. When asked her thoughts on getting to play a working mom in such a high-stress job as a senior detective in Special Victims, Kelli Giddish explained:
Law & Order: SVU can get pretty dark and heavy what with all the sexually-based offenses and especially heinous crimes, so peeks into the personal lives and friendship between Rollins and Benson can provide some welcome lightness to balance things out. Rollins has her two kids (although with Carisi sometimes on hand with his close bond with Jesse and Billie) and Benson has Noah, so they have something in common that neither has with anybody else in Special Victims on SVU, or even with Stabler over on Organized Crime.
SVU managing to not only continue thriving in Season 22 but also launch the Organized Crime spinoff (with another Law & Order spinoff on the way) is something unprecedented on television, even in the mega-successful Dick Wolf universe. Kelli Giddish weighed in on the continuing success of SVU with Christopher Meloni's Organized Crime return as part of the Season 22 package:
The Dick Wolf family of shows currently spans five series on NBC, two series on CBS, and two more spinoffs on the way, with Law & Order: SVU going strong as the longest-running by far and Organized Crime as the newest. And all things considered, fans don't have to worry that the shows are going anywhere any time too soon, and not just because SVU and One Chicago have all already received renewals for another couple of seasons.
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Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime will return on Thursday, May 13 with a two-hour crossover event on NBC, starting at 9 p.m. ET with SVU and continuing with Organized Crime at 10 p.m. ET. For when both shows and many more will wrap for the 2020-2021 TV season, check out our rundown of upcoming TV finales!
Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).