Even though the shows of the Law & Order franchise are still weeks away from returning for their very first three-part crossover, some big SVU news has shifted expectations of what’s on the way for Season 24. Kelli Giddish, who has been on board the long-running procedural since Season 13 as Detective Amanda Rollins, is being written out as another detective joins Special Victims. As new details begin to emerge about her departure, Organized Crime’s Chris Meloni shared a fun BTS reunion with Mariska Hargitay to hype the upcoming crossover.
Why SVU Is Losing Kelli Giddish
The actress herself broke the news that she was leaving Law & Order: SVU on social media, leading to speculation about why and what losing Rollins would mean for Season 24. One day later, Variety reports that Kelli Giddish leaving SVU was not a decision that either she or new showrunner David Graziano (who replaced previous showrunner Warren Leight) made. Leading lady Mariska Hargitay reportedly tried to keep her co-star on the show, to no avail. Salary negotiations are said to have been part of the decision.
At the time of writing, nobody at NBC or Wolf Entertainment has commented on the reports about why the actress is leaving or that star/executive producer Mariska Hargitay tried to keep Giddish on board. Rollins isn’t being cut between seasons, however, as a behind-the-scenes photo showed her along with more cast members for Season 24, including newcomer Molly Burnett. She will also be part of the upcoming three-show crossover between SVU, Organized Crime, and the original Law & Order.
How The Crossover Is Happening
Law & Order Season 22, SVU Season 24, and Organized Crime Season 3 will all premiere in September as part of a three-show crossover, much like what the three FBI shows did over on CBS last year. The event is said to bring the plotlines of all three into one story, which was successful for NBC back when One Chicago was still able to do the major crossovers.
The event will begin with L&O’s Cosgrove joining forces with newcomer Det. Shaw (played by Mehcad Brooks as Anthony Anderson’s replacement) after a young girl is killed in cold blood. That brings SVU’s Benson and OC’s Stabler into the mix when the case gets complicated. On the “law” side, L&O’s McCoy and Price will have to seek justice in the face of even more complications.
The crossover begins with the shows airing in a different order than usual, with OC at 8 p.m. ET, SVU at 9 p.m., and Law & Order at 10 p.m. on September 22. In the meantime, Christopher Meloni took to Instagram to share some BTS pics that could get fans pretty excited.
Chris Meloni Is Hyping The Event With Mariska Hargitay
The stars of the three Law & Order shows were evidently taking some publicity photos ahead of the new seasons, and they found the time for some shenanigans between pics. Shenanigans seem likely to ensue when Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay reunite thanks to spending more than a decade as screen partners on SVU, but Meloni got a smile out of Law & Order’s Sam Waterston as well. Take a look:
I’m not sure if Stabler and Benson would ever goof off like this on SVU or Organized Crime, so it’s fun to see Meloni and his “homegurl” having some BTS fun. Jack McCoy also isn’t always full of smiles on Law & Order, so it’s nice to see Waterston looking happy in the photo. Whether these images help to soothe the sting of losing Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins will come down to how forgiving fans are, but I know I’m glad to see them.
Find the casts of all three shows (including Kelli Giddish to start) back on NBC starting on Thursday, September 22 at 8 p.m. ET. You can start planning ahead for fall TV now with our 2022 TV premiere schedule.
