MariskaHargitay is the only original cast member of season 1. She started out as Olivia Benson, and has since been promoted to captain of the Special Victims Unit. In 2014, she replaced Donald Cragen ( Dann Florek), as the SVU leader. She was promoted to sergeant and then lieutenant, before becoming captain.
Ice-T (Odafin Fin Tutuola), who joined the show as Ice-T in 2000, Kelli Gideish (Amanda Rollins), Peter Scanavino (“Sonny Carisi”) and Jamie Gray Hyder (“Katriona Tamin”) round out the cast.
However, its history-making run is partly due to all the detectives that came before the current roster.
One of the most iconic stars to leave the hit drama was Benson, his original partner detective Elliot Stabler ( Christopher Meloni), which left the show after 12 seasons . But, Meloni’s on-screen friendship with Hargitay has been strong since his departure.
Deadline reported in March 2020 that Meloni, Meloni’s favorite character, would get his own spinoff series by Dick Wolf, the show’s creator. It will focus on the NYPD organized crime unite which Stabler will direct.
Hargitay tweeted “Happy Birthday @Chris_Meloni” days after the news broke. She wanted to send her long-time friend a warm and welcoming welcome back, and to celebrate his birthday on April 2.
According to showrunner Warren Leight, the actor’s new show will start after Meloni’s character returns to SVU during season 22’s premiere.
“It’s quite clear that Elliot is in the SVU Season opener,” Leight said during an April 2020 episode on the ” Law & Order : SVU Podcast. “I believe that’s all I know.”
Scanavino stated that he would love to see Meloni return on the NBC drama, ahead of his announcement.
The actor said that it would be great if he did. This was Us’s September 2019 statement. “I believe that that was kinda a storyline that a lot fans don’t have closure on.”
Meloni is just one of the many stars that have walked through the New York City precinct in the past 20 years — many of them reprising their roles for an episode or two after their departure.
Demore Barnes
Barnes resigned from Law & Order: SVU after playing Christian Garland between 2019 and 2021. His character quit after voicing concerns about police misconduct during a case. He was cast again in Law & Order: Organized Crime the following year.
It was confirmed in March 2022 that Barnes would be appearing on a future episode of the procedural series.
Michelle Hurd
Hurd was an OG member the SVU team, as detective Monique Jeffries. She was also Det. She was Det. New Yorker, the actor has had a long TV history, including roles on Leap years, ERR and Gossip Girls. She was Colleen Manus from 2010 to 2013. She was a regular on Daredevil as well as Ash and Evil Dead. In 2016, she played the role of Colleen Manus on em>The Glades. From 2016 to 2019, she was the Shepherd on Blindspot. She was part of the Star Trek : Picard series as of 2020. Since 2007, Hurd has been married Garret Dallahunt.
Adam Beach
Season 8 through season 9 (2007-2008), Canada’s native actor played detective Chester Lake. He was originally from Brooklyn SVU and then moved to Manhattan SVU where he was partnered by Fin. From 2012 to 2014, the actor appeared on Big Love and Arctic Air. His film credits include Diablo and Suicide Squad. Hostiles was also featured. Juanita is another example of his films. Beach started playing the role of Chief E.O. in 2019. McGinnis is a host on The CW’s Nancy Drew. In 2015, Beach married Summer Tiger. He had been married twice before.
Michaela McManus
The Rhode Island native joined the series in 2008 as the third ADA assigned by SVU to Kim Greylek. She also played Lindsey Strauss for One Tree Hill. After one season, the actress quit SVU in 2009. Later, she was a regular on The Vampire Diaries starting in 2010, and playing Tara on Awake in 2012 She was seen from 2015 to 2016 on Aquarius and, before landing the role of Alana Hayes in SEAL team. In 2019, she was also part of the short-lived series The Village. She has been married to Mike Daniels for ten years and they have two children.
Christopher Meloni
Meloni was Benson’s long-time partner and friend Elliot Stabler for 12 seasons before he left the show in 2011. Deadline reported in March 2020 that Meloni would be getting a Dick Wolf series. The actor will return to his detective role and will be relaunched at his old home. Meloni has starred in Surviving Jack, Underground and True Blood since his departure. As Gene, he appeared in two TV reboots of Wet Hot American Summer on Netflix: First Day of Camp 2015 and Ten years later 2017. From 2017 to 2019, Meloni was a star on Happy!, before appearing on The Handmaid’s Taleand Maxxx. Since 1995, the Washington, D.C. native has been married Sherman Williams. They have a daughter Sophia and a son Dante.
Meloni resigned from his position and was back at SVU by 2021. He then launched his new spinoff, Law & Order Organized Crime.
