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Law & Order SVU lost Chris Meloni unexpectedly after his decision to leave the show. The rest of the series would rest on Mariska Hargitay, but some were skeptical she could handle the new position.

This ‘Law & Order’ showrunner felt Mariska Hargitay was underestimated

Mariska Hargitay leaving a subway station on the set of 'Law & Order SVU'.
Mariska Hargitay | Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

After Meloni left, Hargitay was tasked to lead the show without her partner. She’d continue working alongside her co-star Ice-T. But at the same time, she’d be welcoming new cast members to the show who might help fill Meloni’s noticeable absence. But even after so many years on the show, there was skepticism regarding Hargitay anchoring SVU on her own. Showrunner Warren Leight, however, knew how good Hargitay was when he came on board.

“When I came in there, I don’t believe people understood how good she was,” Leight once told NY Daily News. “And everyone thought it as about the chemistry she had with Elliot [Christopher Meloni] and people did not understand she could carry the show on her own.”

But it seemed with SVU‘s continued success, Hargitay might’ve proven she was more than capable for the job.

Throughout the series, Hargitay felt that her Olivia Benson began to mean more to the entertainment industry than some realized. She believed there weren’t many female characters like Olivia on TV before SVU.

“Olivia opened the door,” Hargitay said. “At the time, I don’t remember any other characters like that. I am very excited and happy when I see other characters like this. I say the more the merrier, baby. I don’t want it to be an anomaly. Let there be all strong, amazing women and I am so happy to know there is an appetite now.”

How ‘Law & Order SVU’ plans on handling Mariska Hargitay’s potential departure

It doesn’t seem like Hargitay will be leaving SVU anytime soon. But she has thought about what a proper end for her character might be.

“With Olivia finding real peace and balance and love,” she once told TV Insider about her ideal conclusion. “She’s given so much to others that I want her, as she has fought for other people, to fight for herself.”

But even Hargitay can’t do SVU forever. There may come a day when the actor may feel like she’s given her all to Olivia Benson. Should that day come, NBC president at the time Vernon Sanders confided they’re prepared for the challenge.

“I’m glad we haven’t had to face that,” Sanders said in a 2013 interview with Variety. “We’d have to give it a lot of thought, and it would be a collaborative decision.”

What made it especially difficult to think about was a huge part of SVU‘s fanbase could’ve been watching the show solely for Hargitay.

“It’s hard to say how much of our audience is coming exclusively for Mariska, but women are our primary audience. Mariska is one of those performers who transcends. The fact that she’s got appeal to not just one demographic … is a unique thing on the television landscape,” Sanders said.

But Leight reassured that Hargitay would have a graceful and respectable exit from the show. And it’d be one that the fans should be satisfied with.

“We’d have a way to arc her out; she might not leave all at once. There would be a chance for closure, and then you hope you can reinvent the show,” Leight said.

Mariska Hargitay compared ‘Law & Order SVU’ to a marathon run

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Hargitay adores her SVU role, not only for what it’s done for her, but for others. Olivia Benson has become a role model and icon for women of all ages around the world. It also inspired Hargitay’s current interest in activism, allowing the actor to make a true difference in the world.

“I sometimes get confused myself; I spend so much time as an actor and advocate, and they are interwoven,” Hargitay said. “These girls are looking for someone to look up to. Olivia is empowered, and they aspire to be like that. They say, ‘I wish Olivia was my mother. Then she could have protected me.’”

But she confided that when she does see the end to her character, Hargitay will treat it as a marathon run.

“Sometimes when you see the finish line you can run faster and you have more energy,” she said. “So that’s how I’m sort of approaching it. I’m going to give it my all and sprint as hard as I can.”

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