‘Law & Order: SVU’: Key Mariska Hargitay Scene Cut From Premiere After Airing

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit team got the short end of the screentime stick during the major Law & Order three-show crossover that aired last week. They had even less screentime if you did not see the three-hour epic as it aired on NBC on Sept. 22. That’s because an important scene featuring Mariska Hargitay and Peter Scanavino was trimmed out of the streaming version. Spoilers follow!

During the movie-style crossover, titled “Gimme Shelter,” Det. Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) was shot in the abdomen while trying to protect an important witness. It looked like she was close to death, with blood drenching her shirt. She was rushed to the hospital, where she thankfully received treatment and was saved. However, A.D.A. Dominick “Sonny” Carisi (Scanavino) did not know that she would be ok when he rushed to the hospital. When he arrived, Capt. Olivia Benson (Hargitay) was there to meet him and she tried to comfort him before he rushed into the hospital.

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The scene lasted about 35 seconds and came during the third part of the crossover, which is officially the Law & Order Season 22 premiere. It was an emotional moment though, confirming to viewers at home that Carisi and Rollins’ romance is still going strong into SVU Season 24. Wolf Entertainment even tweeted a GIF of the scene during the broadcast.

However, if you only wanted the crossover on Peacock the next day, the scene was nowhere to be found! As TVLine points out, the streaming version goes seamlessly from a scene of Benson questioning a detective who was at the scene of Rollins’ shooting to another scene of Benson comforting the witness Rollins was protecting. Without this scene, Carisi only appears in one moment of the entire crossover. He is seen at the very end when Carisi sits by Rollins in the hospital.

Sources told TVLine the reason for the edit was to make room for a pre-episode recap, which is necessary for when the three episodes air outside of the crossover context. NBC, Peacock, and Wolf Entertainment have not commented on the situation. As it stands, the deleted scene may only survive in GIF form. (It could resurface on DVD, though.)

SVU Season 24 will be Giddish’s last on the show. She joined at the start of Season 13, right after Christopher Meloni left. Giddish announced her departure last month, leaving longtime viewers stunned. There are rumors that it was not her decision, and that even Hargitay was unable to keep Giddish on the show.

“Playing Rollins has been one of the greatest joys and privileges of my life. I’ve been so fortunate to be a part of the Law & Order family for the last 12 years,” Giddish wrote on Instagram. “There is simply no other character on TV like Rollins. She’s grown and changed, and I have as well. I started on this show when I was in my late 20s and I’m grateful I got to spend so many of my adult years with Rollins in my life.”

SVU airs on NBC Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET, between the mothership Law & Order and Law & Order: Organized Crime. This season, episodes will only be available to stream on Peacock the day after they air. NBC is no longer publishing shows on Hulu.