Spoilers ahead for the special NBC broadcast of Barmageddon, called "Blake Shelton's Holiday Bartacular."
Blake Shelton may be missing from The Voice this season, but his return for Season 2 of Barmageddon led to some fun shenanigans on NBC anyway. After episodes that aired on USA reunited him with former Voice opponent Kelly Clarkson, "Blake Shelton's Holiday Bartacular" brought on an NBC star from the Law & Order franchise: Ice-T, who has been playing Fin Tutuola on SVU for more than two decades. The Barmageddon episode was a lot cheerier than SVU has ever been, but there were some nods to the long-running drama that resulted in me missing it more than ever.
Normally, Law & Order: SVU would have recently debuted its midseason finale by this point in December, which would usually mean that nine episodes aired starting in the fall before taking the usual winter break. The WGA writers strike followed by the SAG-AFTRA actors strike have meant that the show has yet to return following the Season 24 finale back in the spring, and I've been stuck watching reruns of episodes like the one in which Bradley Whitford returned and the one that almost let Benson and Stabler share a kiss.
So, seeing Ice-T on the Barmageddon holiday special felt like a treat, even if playing games with a Christmas twist was a far cry from Fin's daily duties in the Special Victims Unit! "Blake Shelton's Holiday Bartacular" waited until over 45 minutes into the broadcast in the 2023 TV schedule to drop any references to SVU, but they did eventually happen. Upon a return from commercial break, a narrator said this:
In the North Pole, those on the naughty list are dealt with by officers of the Special Holiday Unit.
That line is obviously a take on the narration that has opened more than 500 episodes of SVU: "In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate this vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit." Sadly for me as a fan of the Law & Order franchise, the Barmageddon narration did not end with the iconic DUN DUN sound, but the parallels between Blake Shelton's shenanigans and the darkest L&O show can only go so far!
That said, Ice-T showed that he can slip into his mannerisms as Fin Tutuola even in the face of shenanigans from Shelton. He seemingly channeled his inner Fin to interrogate Blake Shelton in a pretty funny sequence, starting with:
Okay, Santa! Where were you on the eve of December 24? We've done a very deep investigation and we know you're up to some shady business.
Honestly, if not for the setting of Ice-T on a set covered in Christmas decorations, I could imagine that as part of a real Fin monologue on SVU with a perp dressed in a Santa suit. If anything, I'd be somewhat surprised if SVU hasn't already done an episode with a perp dressed up as Santa as the 25th-anniversary milestone season approaches. I'm a fan, but I can't vouch for every single one of the 538 episodes so far! But Ice-T interrogating somebody for their whereabouts involving shady business is pure Fin, and left me flashing back to SVU during Barmageddon.
Fortunately, the return of Law & Order: SVU is finally on the horizon in the 2024 TV schedule. Season 25 will premiere on Thursday, January 18 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, between Season 23 of Law & Order at 8 p.m. and Season 4 of Law & Order: Organized Crime at 10 p.m. In the meantime, you can always revisit earlier episodes of SVU streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription, as well as Ice-T's episode of Barmageddon opposite Blake Shelton.
