'Law & Order: Organized Crime' Star Weighs in on Stabler and Benson Romance

The Law & Order franchise is returning, and so will Benson and Stabler's complicated feelings for one another. It's no secret that the former partners, played by Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, are more than just former partners. Since the beginning, their relationship has been hinted at as something more, and once Meloni returned to the franchise for Organized Crime, it was like the feelings never left. With SVU heading into Season 25 and OC heading into Season 4, Organized Crime star Danielle Moné Truitt, who plays OC task force boss Sergeant Ayanna Bell, gives her own thoughts on the will they/won't they relationship.

A photo previously released for SVU Season 25 hinted at a possible romance between the two. Hargitay had posted a BTS photo on her Instagram, where she was wearing the compass necklace Stabler gave Benson, which could mean things are official or at least getting closer. Whatever the case may be, Truitt tells TV Insider that it may not be the best idea for Bensler to get together, as it could impact work.

"I think Bell, for the most part, minds her own business until she's brought into something, you know what I'm saying?" Truitt explains. "She knows that Stabler and Benson have this connection. Stabler's never went in-depth with her, but she's a smart lady, so she kind of figured out like, 'Okay, they have something going on.' She just doesn't want it to get in the way of Stabler's work, number one, and she cares about Stabler as a friend, so she doesn't want whatever this is to keep him in a place where he can't fully actualize joy and who he should be in his life."

"I think for Bell, it would be like, 'Either y'all going to get together or you're not. Just make a decision. Either you're going to be together, or you just need to move on,'" Truitt continued. "And I think she says that in Season 1 – just move on and enjoy your life and enjoy whatever that connection and that friendship is. I don't think she is that concerned."

Since the Law & Order shows will only be getting 13 episodes apiece due to the strikes, it wouldn't give them that much time to focus on Bensler while centering on the cases of the week and other matters. That doesn't mean that they won't, but knowing the franchise, it might still be the biggest slow burn of all. Since neither show seems to be stopping any time soon, fans will still have a while to get Benson and Stabler together, but hopefully, it's sooner rather than later. Viewers will have to tune in on Thursday, Jan. 18 when the Law & Order franchise returns as part of NBC's spring 2024 schedule to find out what happens.