Law & Order (and its subsequent spin-offs) represent one of the longest-running, hour-long program franchises in primetime history. Beginning in 1990, the original series ran for two decades, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has recently surpassed it with 21 seasons. From diehard fans to the casual viewer, chances are anyone who watches television has seen an episode of the ubiquitous franchise and had an opinion on the relationships within it.
The original series tended to focus primarily on the criminal investigations, concluding in dramatic court scenes showcasing the pursuit of justice. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit decided to expose the personal lives of its criminal investigators in a way that was more intimate, with particular attention to romances.
FANS WERE BEHIND: BENSON & STABLER
Partners for the first 12 seasons of Law & Order: SVU, Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler were more than coworkers investigating sex crimes - they were friends, and many fans hoped something more. Whereas the burnout rate for most SVU detectives is 4 years, they proved that with the right partner, even the most difficult aspects of the job could be weathered.
Benson’s level-headed demeanor balanced out Stabler’s hot-headedness, but the foundation of the dynamic duo was mutual respect. In the Season 7 episode “Fault”, when a sex offender (Lou Diamond Phillips) held a gun to Stabler’s head, and Benson was confronted with the real possibility of losing her partner (and the only family she had), she was forced to reveal how much they meant to one another.
FANS REJECTED: ELLIOT & KATHY
Unlike other series in the Law & Order franchise, Law & Order: SVU left the squad room of the Manhattan 16th precinct and explored the personal lives of its special detectives. Viewers learned over the years that Detective Elliot Stabler had a fractious marriage to his wife Kathy, which ultimately led to a brief period of separation and the possibility of divorce.
Though the pair had been together for over twenty years, Elliot rarely opened up about the painful aspects of his job, which affected their marriage in adverse ways. He also spent more time with his partner Olivia Benson, and fans always felt like he had much more chemistry with her than his wife. In the end, Elliot and his wife worked out their differences, much to the chagrin of fans.
FANS WERE BEHIND: BENSON & CASSIDY
Brian Cassidy was an SVU detective who appeared in the first season of Law & Order: SVU, and later became involved with Detective Olivia Benson. One night over a few drinks they decided to become intimate, and even though Cassidy wanted to pursue something more serious, Benson shut him down, citing her unwillingness to date coworkers.
Cassidy would be absent from the series for over a decade, until he returned at the end of Season 13. During that season and the next, he rekindled his romance with Benson, and the two became serious enough to move in together. Unfortunately, their differing personalities and his sudden involvement with a precarious rape case caused them to grow apart, but for a while, it seemed like they might have been able to last.
FANS REJECTED: ROLLINS & AMARO
Amanda Rollins first appeared in Season 13 of Law & Order: SVU as a detective transferring from the Atlanta PD to the Manhattan 16th Precinct, and was partnered with Detective Tutuola. She came from a dysfunctional family involving an abusive alcoholic father, a cocaine-addicted sister, and a mother who often takes her sister’s side.
Over time it was revealed that she developed a relationship with Detective Amaro, Olivia Benson’s partner after Elliot Stabler left the 16th Precinct. This wasn’t a healthy match, as aside from being coworkers, they both were victims of abusive fathers and argued frequently about the lawful treatment of domestic abuse victims in the same situation.
FANS WERE BEHIND: BRISCOE & LOGAN
The original Law & Order focused primarily on the criminal investigations and their resulting courtroom trials, but even before Law & Order: Special Victims Unit delved deeper into the lives of its detectives, there was a special report between Detective Lennie Briscoe and his partner Mike Logan that transcended their working relationship.
Lennie Briscoe was a methodical criminal investigator but he wasn’t infallible, and as a recovering alcoholic, he often had to explain to his partner about the intricacies of addiction. He became a father figure to Logan who came from a troubled working-class upbringing, and their congenial wise-cracking repartee was a highlight of their partnership until Logan’s departure.
FANS REJECTED: MCCOY & KINCAID
Jack McCoy was one of the most prominent District Attorneys in New York City in the original Law & Order, renowned for his combative and fanatical pursuit of justice in the courtroom. He’s been held in contempt of court dozens of times, and his reckless and combustible reputation in criminal law may only be overshadowed by his reputation as a lothario with his assistants.
When Claire Kincaid began her career under McCoy, she learned he’d been romantically involved with his female ADA’s. Of the three he had, he was involved with every one of them. Despite the fact that Kincaid said nothing would ever happen between them, it inevitably did, and their professional relationship suffered.
FANS WERE BEHIND: BENSON & TUCKER
Ed Tucker has been a thorn in the side of the Manhattan 16th Precinct for over a decade on SVU, constantly snooping around for dirty cops as an officer of the Internal Affairs Bureau. Though his relationship with Olivia Benson began as adversarial, especially when he investigated her partner Elliot Stabler, it later turned romantic.
Her frequent investigations by the IAB put him in constant contact with her, and her continued innocence allowed him to learn to trust her character. He demonstrated being a stalwart part of not only her life, but also her son Noah’s. Fans were heartbroken to earn Tucker committed suicide after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
FANS REJECTED: BENSON & HADEN
When the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit gets a new Executive Assistant District Attorney David Haden, he immediately develops a report with Detective Olivia Benson in Season 13. After a few drinks over the course of several cases, it seems like they’re both genuinely happy together and looking forward to their future.
While the relationship isn’t quite as problematic as her and the conniving as newspaper editor Kurt Moss who used their triste for his headlines, it stills builds up over a few episodes only to fail spectacularly because, despite having great chemistry and being happy, neither of them have the gall to overstep boundaries in their jobs.
FANS WERE BEHIND: ROLLINS & CARISI
During her time on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Amanda Rollins rarely caught a break between trying to integrate into a close-knit new unit in New York City, dealing with her dysfunctional family members that constantly compromised her job, and having a baby by her old commanding officer.
A romance with Detective Amaro failed, and Rollins had a difficult time relying on her fellow detectives for support. While initially immature in Season 14, Detective Carisi stepped up in a positive capacity in Season 17, offering to help her as soon as he found out she was pregnant. Their relationship continues to develop as she trusts him more and more, with fans rooting them on and hoping for a happy ending.
FANS REJECTED: STABLER AND DANI BECK
To most fans of SVU’s main detectives Benson and Stabler, no other partnership was more perfect, so when Olivia Benson was given an undercover assignment, they weren’t ready to accept a replacement for Stabler. His new partner was Detective Dani Beck, a widow with a grudge against her husband’s killer, who only lasted a couple of months.
Stabler didn’t want a new partner and so was resentful of Beck from the beginning, while Beck sensed his hostility and was combative in her own right. Perhaps a partnership built on angst and loneliness was what pushed them together, as Stabler was separated from his wife at the time, but regardless there was only one partner for him and Beck wasn’t it.
