One thing that’s hard to imagine is Law & Order: SVU continuing without Mariska Hargitay. We’ve watched her Captain Olivia Benson from her days as detective. But in the finale, she even begins to question her future. TV Insider spoke with showrunner Michele Fazekas about that and more. Warning: Spoilers for the Law & Order: SVU Season 27 finale ahead!

The squad is dealt a tough blow when, due to a procedural error, a known kidnapper goes free; yes, they rescued the boy in his car trunk but he’s out and, as they discover, a serial offender, so it’s just a matter of time before the next victim. Benson spends much of the episode rewatching her interrogation of him. She also admits to Fin (Ice-T) that she doesn’t know how much longer she can do this and wonders if he was right about retiring. But he insists he’s never retiring or dying.

But even with that question mark, Benson is very much ready to fight to keep her job when Chief Tynan (Noma Dumezweni) wants her badge, citing putting her team in danger after Griffin (Corey Cott) ends up in the hospital with a gunshot wound (he’ll be fine). Tynan’s wanted her out all season, but while she thinks she has what will make that possible, Benson surprises her by revealing that Griffin recorded the chief talking about planting a gun on a perp.

Below, showrunner Michele Fazekas breaks down the finale and Benson’s Season 27 journey. (Plus, read what Corey Cott had to say about the finale here.)

Benson and Griffin had seemingly at least stalled Tynan with the recording of that conversation. And so how did Benson and Tynan feel about the positions that they’ve now put each other in by that end of that finale because of that recording?

Michele Fazekas: Benson has on tape, essentially, Tynan admitting that they planted a gun on a perp years and years ago back in the ’90s, Tynan and Griffin’s dad. And I feel like we’ve told that story now. Tynan, who’s been sort of after Benson in one way or another all season, Benson finally has taken control of that. I love the actress Noma, and I loved Tynan. I think Tynan is a fun foil for Benson. I don’t see Tynan really as a villain. She just has a different approach to things. But for the moment, that story has been told.

Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, Noma Dumezweni as Chief Tynan — 'Law & Order: SVU' Season 27 Episode 19

Ralph Bavaro/NBC

So you would say that Tynan is no longer a concern for Benson?

Yes. I think for the moment. And I keep the door open always because Noma is working all the time, as well she should, because she’s so amazing. But yeah, that story has been handled.

Moving on to Griffin, Griffin’s going to be OK. Did you ever consider killing him off?

Probably not seriously, but also, I mean, we toss that around, but I like Griffin as a character and he’s staying. We’re not making any cast changes, so I’m happy that we get to keep him and develop his character more.

The season started out with Benson and Fin kind of talking about retiring and now here it comes up again. Benson’s starting to wonder how much longer she can do this. What are you starting to say with these conversations? What are you trying to say about Benson? Because this job does take a lot out of a person.

So when I came, because I was on the show early in my career, Seasons 3 through 7, I was on the writing staff. So coming back to the show in Season 27, it was one of my questions like, “Oh my gosh, how long can this show go on? ” And in the first episode of this season, she tells Fin, “Listen, I know we’re closer to the end than the beginning,” which is true of a 27-year-old show. Eventually, the show will end and instead of running away from that notion, it’s like, “Let’s go toward that and have Benson ask the question herself like, how much longer can I do this?”

And so it became a theme of this whole season where we keep coming back to are we going to keep … Fin was asking himself a question and Finn getting sidelined for a while and by the end they both answered the question for themselves. When Fin is like, “I’m never going to retire and I’m never going to die,” which is kind of the sweet moment of him taking care of her because he can see that she’s really struggling, but Benson has answered the question for herself like, “I’m going to do this for as long as I can because I can do nothing else.”

Fin says he’s never going to retire, that was sort of his journey this season. What had you wanted to do with him there?

Oh, I never had intended on having him actually retire from the show, but it was part of that theme of both of them because they’re the kind of OG members of this unit and he and Benson were approaching it differently. When he asked Benson at the beginning of the season like, “Well, we’re not going to do this forever.” That’s his approach. He’s like, “Yeah, I’ll probably retire at some point.” And Benson almost doesn’t compute the question like, “What are you talking about? Of course we’re doing this forever.” But they both sort of come to the same conclusion at the end, like, it’s going to be you and me to the end, whenever that is.

'Law & Order: SVU' Season 28: Cast, Premiere Date, More Details
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'Law & Order: SVU' Season 28: Cast, Premiere Date, More Details

This season was very much about Benson looking into her current position at the SVU, fighting to keep it, and then a question of retirement. So what can you say about what you’re discussing about what it comes to Benson with Season 28?

Well, for Season 28, I think she’s recommitted herself. She’s not going to be asking that question because I think she’s answered that question. So our writers’ room starts next week and one of my first sort of assignments for myself and for the writers is, well, OK, so what is the story? What is the theme of season 28? So it won’t be that same question. It’ll be something new.

Do you think everyone will be back in Season 28? The series regulars in the same capacity?

I don’t know. I think that’s sort of a … I would say in the best case scenario, if and when this show comes to a conclusion, I think it would be fun to sort of see old faces, but I want to know ahead of time, well, when is the conclusion and let’s sort of build toward that. I’ll only bring back characters when it’s warranted.

In the first episode of this season, we had Cragen’s funeral, people had feelings about it and they should have feelings about it. I think it doesn’t do anything to kill off a character that you don’t really care about. As much as I love Cragen, and Cragen was the captain when I was writing on the show, it’s like, let’s have it mean to something and in part be the catalyst for Benson’s arc this season. So yeah, we brought back some old faces. We just sort of put out the word like, “Hey, who’s available?” And again, lots of people are working, which I’m very happy for them, but not great for me.

Rollins (Kelli Giddish) and Carisi’s (Peter Scanavino) relationship at this point seems very settled and it’s probably one of the most stable parts of the show. Was that intentional given how long it took for them to get together?

We wrote an episode with Rollins where a guy breaks into their house and Rollins has sort of had a lot of different jobs. She went and was working as a professor for a while and she seemed — I liked the idea of telling the Rollins story where it’s like, “Oh, she’s actually settled in her life. She’s back at SVU where she wants to be. She’s in a good place with Carisi.” So yeah, I guess it was somewhat intentional that the parts of her life that maybe were more chaotic are sort of, OK, it’s a sign of growth for her character, I think.

Law & Order: SVU, Season 28 Premiere, Fall 2026, Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC

—Additional reporting by Erin Maxwell

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