Before ‘Law & Order’ reunites Stabler and Benson, here’s where they left off
LA TimesIt’s been exactly a decade since Elliot Stabler signed off from his last shift at “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” bringing an abrupt end to one of the longest-running will-they/won’t-they relationships in TV history. On Thursday, the erstwhile detective played by Christopher Meloni will return to NBC in a two-hour crossover event, reuniting with his former partner, Olivia Benson, on “SVU” before spinning off into his own series, “Law & Order: Organized Crime.” Details of the news series have been closely guarded — no episodes were made available for critics ahead of the premiere — but the official logline for “Organized Crime” explains that Stabler returns to the NYPD after “a devastating personal loss,” rejoining the police department during “a moment of reckoning” in the criminal justice system. If it’s been a while since you last binge-watched all 400-something episodes of “SVU” and need a refresher, here’s a look back at the saga of Benson and Stabler. Since leaving “SVU” 10 years ago, he’s become Peak TV’s favorite zaddy, starring in shows such as “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Pose,” “Happy!” and “Harley Quinn.” How did they write Stabler off the show?