Despite the fact that Law & Order: SVU is on the painfully long list of scripted shows that won't return to network TV this fall, there is still something to celebrate for NBC's long-running series about especially heinous offenses and vicious felonies. SVU premiered with its pilot, called "Payback," on September 20 back in 1999. Feeling nostalgic for days gone by, I decided to revisit the episode in time for the 24th anniversary, and I was left with an important (although not altogether shocking) realization about Olivia Benson and actress Mariska Hargitay.
A 2023 Look Back At The 1999 Pilot
First things first! This admittedly isn't the only time that I've revisited the pilot over the 24 years since the premiere, and I haven't been watching SVU since 1999 due to the fact that I was still in grade school at the time. Still, in addition to my takeaways from rewatching the pilot episode last year, something new occurred to me after seeing Season 24 say goodbye to multiple characters in 2023.
The Peacock description of the pilot simply reads "Detectives investigate the murder of a cabdriver who was a wanted man," which is a very humble way to describe the first episode of a show that would go on to run for 538 and counting. To get a little more specific, the case of the pilot kicked off with the murder and castration of a cab driver, only for the plot to thicken with the reveal that he was a brutal rapist and killer as well.
"Payback" introduced Mariska Hargitay's Benson and Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler, while bringing Dann Florek's Donald Cragen over after spending some time on the original Law & Order and the late Richard Belzer reprising his Homicide: Life on the Street role as John Munch. Ice-T wouldn't arrive as Fin until Season 2, but "Payback" had plenty going on otherwise.
SVU felt much more like an ensemble than it would in later years, even though Stabler and Benson were first- and second-billed for a reason. There were also some glimpses into characters' personal lives, and the first looks at what makes Olivia Benson who she is are what led to my realization during my latest watch. I really don't think that this show could survive without Olivia Benson, and not just because Mariska Hargitay tops the list of 25 Law & Order franchise actors who appeared in the most episodes.
What I Realized About Olivia Benson
While my 2022 rewatch made me realize that Benson was always the star of the show even when Christopher Meloni was top-billed over Mariska Hargitay, seeing her more or less carry the very first episode of the series while keeping in mind that she's basically the face of the franchise in 2023 packed a stronger punch this time. While SVU is technically a procedural and procedurals have been known to recover from the lead departing, this show is Olivia Benson's.
From the very beginning, Benson has had the most compelling personal story, and arguably always been the sympathetic one when it comes to the tumultuous Benson/Stabler relationship. (#TeamBenson for life.) Plus, her journey started from Benson's very early days in Special Victims and has since taken her to now leading the unit. SVU may fundamentally be a procedural, but how many procedurals are so centered on one character for so long with so much success?
And for as much as other characters have become long-running favorites in their own right, I'm not sure that the show could really last with them theoretically top-billed. Could Ice-T lead the show as Fin, in the hypothetical scenario of Mariska Hargitay deciding to step away from SVU? Maybe, but Fin carrying some very big episodes isn't the same as carrying the full show, and I'd just miss Ice-T's chemistry with Hargitay.
Longtime series regular Kelli Giddish is gone from the show now as Amanda Rollins, and even though DA McCoy can work as the main character on Law & Order, I don't see a lawyer – even Peter Scanavino's Carisi – at the heart of SVU. Fin is the only character who I could see possibly beginning to fill Benson's shoes.
Of course, the show hypothetically attempting to move on without Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson isn't something we have reason to worry about at this point, but revisiting the pilot made me realize that it's my worst-case scenario. Benson is at the heart of a series that has been running for nearly two and a half decades.
She has been my favorite SVU character going back to when I was finally (sort of) old enough to start watching and began catching up via checking DVD box sets out of my local library. I probably still have the late fees to prove it! Nowadays, I'm convinced that if SVU tried to continue without her, it would feel like a very different show than what so many have been watching for decades, and not in a good way.
Is The Pilot Worth Revisiting After 24 Years?
I won't lie – there are elements of Law & Order: SVU's series premiere that are incredibly dated, and I don't just mean the very 1999 fashion and technology. I can't imagine Benson or Stabler dropping some of their pilot lines in 2023, and not a whole lot other than Benson and the sexually-based offenses will feel familiar fresh off of Season 24. Still, I enjoyed suspending my disbelief and rewatching the episode this year just as I did last summer.
Fortunately, it's a lot easier to go back to the early days of SVU now than it was when I was checking seasons out of my local library. The show is actually streaming on two major services. A Peacock Premium subscription will give you access to the first full 24 seasons as well as new episodes of the latest season, whenever SVU is able to return for Season 25. You can also find the first 24 seasons streaming with a Hulu subscription.
If you're fine with going back to 1999 for the very earliest days of Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, then I recommend the rewatch! For your sake, however, I hope that it doesn't also put you in the mood to rewatch the whole show from the beginning like it did me. While it's possible that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike delays could mean Benson and Stabler interacting more once SVU and Organized Crime both return, we can only wait for the Law & Order world to come back at this point. For some viewing options sooner rather than later, check out our 2023 TV schedule!
