8 Characters Who Need To Return In Law & Order: SVU's 600th Episode That Are More Important Than Stabler
Laura Hurley has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than twelve years, after a decade as a content producer and editor at CinemaBlend after writing for WhatCulture and Examiner. Attending events like SCAD TVfest and San Diego Comic-Con over the course of her career, she has been immersed in the world of network, streaming, and cable TV.
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Law & Order: SVU is on the verge of hitting a historic milestone on NBC. The 600th episode will air as part of season 28, and Mariska Hargitay will have more to celebrate than simply hosting the Emmys this year. After SVU pulled out the stops for the 500th episode, Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler has been confirmed to join Hargitay's Olivia Benson for the series' next big accolade. While that's great news out of NBC's 2026 fall schedule for fans of the Bensler relationship, Stabler hasn't been the most important person to Benson over 28 seasons when compared to others.
In fact, even though the first 12 seasons with Stabler were arguably the golden years of SVU, Benson has spent more time without Stabler than with him over 28 seasons. The disappointing element of Meloni's return may mean that not much will come of his character appearing in the 600th episode, so possible returns from other characters could be much more meaningful. The stakes are already high for Law & Order: SVU season 28, with the potential for the 600th episode to be more satisfying than the 500th episode.
The 500th episode brought back Aidan Quinn as Richard Burton, the man who groomed Benson when she was just a teenager. He wasn't exactly a celebratory character to come back for such a major milestone, and he got far more screentime than the former fan favorites who got cameos. While there's only time for a certain number of characters to appear in the upcoming 600th episode, there are some who would be perfect to at least receive a moment or two before the final credits roll.
Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza)
Law & Order: SVU entered a new era in season 14 with the arrival of Raúl Esparza as Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba. Although there was no way of knowing it at the time, Barba would become one of the drama's longest-serving ADAs. He was also a part of a fresh start for Benson, as the first main ADA for the unit after Stabler's abrupt departure.
The two became close friends, with enough sparks flying that romance seemed like a possibility. His most recent appearances in the franchise were somewhat adversarial for Benson, including when he appeared as a guest star on Law & Order: Organized Crime. A return for SVU's 600th episode could restore some of that old friendship.
Nick Amaro (Danny Pino)
Detective Nick Amaro holds a special place in the history of Law & Order: SVU (and Olivia Benson's development), as the replacement for Stabler in season 13. The odds were against Amaro winning over fans who were bitter about Christopher Meloni's abrupt departure, but he proved to be a strong right-hand man for Benson during Danny Pino's four seasons as a series regular.
Pino was also the most prominent guest star in the 500th episode other than Aidan Quinn as Burton, so a return in the 600th episode for any more than a cameo is unlikely. Still, he had an important role in helping SVU survive the exit of the leading man, and Benson even acknowledged that she grew more as his partner than over 12 years with her previous partner. Amaro deserves to be acknowledged on screen, especially with Stabler back in the mix.
Alex Cabot (Stephanie March)
The first main ADA for the Special Victims Unit was Alex Cabot, who fought for victims as a main character from season 2 - season 6. After Cabot faked her own death, Stephanie March seemed unlikely to return. In a lucky turn of events for fans of the earliest seasons, she would go on to recur over another five seasons. Although she hasn't appeared since season 29, season 28 could be the right time for her to come back.
Her strong bond with Benson enhanced the show, which has frequently had a shortage of female characters. Season 2 was also the start of one of SVU's most important early eras. In addition to Cabot debuting, Ice-T made his first appearance as Fin in the second season. Since Fin has been part of the unit for nearly as long as Benson, a blast to the past of season 2 could brighten up the 600th episode.
Melinda Warner (Tamara Tunie)
Tamara Tunie has one of the longest tenures in the Law & Order franchise as ME Melida Warner. She regularly pitched in on the Special Victims Unit's investigations as the medical examiner for the first 17 seasons, and then continued to make sporadic guest appearances. Warner was important enough to the show that she made a cameo in the 500th episode in 2021.
That said, her last appearances in the franchise were on Law & Order: Organized Crime, opposite Christopher Meloni. The vast majority of her time in the Law & Order world was spent on SVU, and she was essential to the detectives cracking many of their hundreds of cases. SVU also hasn't had a memorable examiner since losing Warner, so it would be a treat in more than one way to get her back.
Monique Jeffries (Michelle Hurd)
In the grand scheme of a show that has lasted for 28 seasons, Detective Monique Jeffries is easy to overlook. Jeffries was only a full member of Special Victims for the first season, and appeared in a few episodes of season 2, but she resigned from active duty. Although she later returned to active duty in a different department of the NYPD, she hasn't been seen nor heard from since 2001.
At the same time, Jeffries is one of the only surviving main characters from the very first episode of SVU. Season 25 revealed that John Munch had died, following the passing of actor Richard Belzer. Captain Cragen was killed off in the season 27 premiere, although Dann Florek is still alive and well. Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni are the only original stars confirmed to appear in the 600th episode, unless Jeffries makes a surprise (and well-deserved) appearance.
George Huang (BD Wong)
BD Wong was another cast member who joined the crew in season 2, and he's credited with more than 230 episodes. As Dr. George Huang, the FBI psychiatrist who frequently helped the Special Victims detectives, Wong appeared regularly through season 10, then returned several more times as a guest. His arrival in the season 27 premiere was one of the few bright spots of SVU killing off Captain Cragen.
While Benson and the other detectives weren't too happy to see Huang whenever he was in the mix to analyze them, he was a welcome addition to the team when it came to catching predators. Season 27 proved that SVU can organically bring him back in, so there are multiple ways that the show could incorporate him in the 600th episode.
Brian Cassidy (Dean Winters)
Brian Cassidy had one of the most unlikely runs on Law & Order: SVU, and not just because he holds the distinction as Olivia Benson's first workplace romance. Cassidy was a young detective in the very first season, but was unable to stomach the sexually-based offenses of working in Special Victims. Then, he returned in season 13 as a guest, and continued to recur for several more seasons, which involved a relationship with Benson that extended beyond their early one-night stand.
Cassidy briefly appeared in season 27, as an attendee of the memorial for Captain Cragen. It didn't amount to any more than a cameo in the premiere, but he was clearly still attached to the old crew. For an episode that celebrates 600 episodes, bringing in another detective from the first season would be fitting.
Donald Cragen (Dann Florek)
The Law & Order franchise doesn't usually kill off characters when the actors are written out, so the off-screen demise of Captain Donald Cragen stands out as one of SVU's most shocking deaths. His death was revealed in the season 27 premiere, and the only good thing to come of it was that his memorial brought back Huang, Cassidy, and Stabler for a few moments.
Obviously, Cragen's death means that he can't appear in the flesh for the 600th episode, but there are ways around that to bring him in. He could be part of a flashback for Benson, or appear in a recording from before he passed away. A recording of Cragen allowed Dann Florek to appear one last time in Law & Order: SVU season 27, and his role in Benson's growth as a character can't be overstated. He deserves to be brought back from the grave, in some form or other, for the milestone.
- Release Date
- September 20, 1999
- Network
- NBC
- Showrunner
- Michael S. Chernuchin, David Graziano
- Directors
- Jean de Segonzac, David Platt, Peter Leto, Alex Chapple, Juan José Campanella, Norberto Barba, Constantine Makris, Martha Mitchell, Arthur W. Forney, Michael Slovis, Steve Shill, Alex Zakrzewski, Michael Pressman, Helen Shaver, Mariska Hargitay, Michael Smith, Ted Kotcheff, Fred Berner, Jonathan Kaplan, Holly Dale, Jonathan Herron, Jud Taylor, Adam Bernstein, Jim McKay
- Writers
- Judith McCreary, David Graziano, Michael S. Chernuchin, Daniel Truly, Jonathan Greene, Amanda Green, Lisa Marie Petersen, Allison Intrieri, Lawrence Kaplow, Jose Molina, Matt Klypka, Michael R. Perry, Samantha Corbin-Miller, Barbie Kligman, Robert F. Campbell, Candice Sanchez McFarlane, Gwendolyn M. Parker, René Balcer, Robert Nathan, Wendy West, Speed Weed, Ryan Causey, Chris Brancato, Christos N. Gage
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Mariska Hargitay
Olivia Benson
-
Ice-T
Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a television series that premiered in 1999. Set in the criminal justice system of New York City, it follows an elite team of detectives who investigate sexually-based offenses, focusing on their efforts to solve complex cases and seek justice for victims.
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