Mariska Hargitay Reportedly Done with ‘Law & Order: SVU’

Just as Law & Order: SVU starts its 26^th season, the show might be losing its long-lasting lead. Mariska Hargitay has been the face of SVU and the Law & Order franchise as a whole for nearly three decades, starring as Captain Olivia Benson. While there hasn’t been any indication that the actress is looking to step down any time soon, that might soon be changing.

Sources tell RadarOnline that Hargitay has reportedly been telling friends she could be ready to say goodbye to SVU. “Mariska has spent nearly half her life playing Olivia,” a source said. “She’s passed up lots of other opportunities over the years, and she’d rather leave of her own accord than be pushed out by a network salary-cutting move or see the show canceled.”

Other than a few small appearances here and there over the years, Harigtay has mostly been doing just Law & Order: SVU and crossovers since 1999. It wouldn’t be so surprising if she’s been thinking about handing in her badge, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. However, her salary might play a different story.

She allegedly had to keep a close eye on herself during the strikes last year, with her $500,000 salary putting a target on her back. “NBC was slashing jobs to make up for the hundreds of millions they lost,” a source claimed. “But they spared Mariska because they figured they wouldn’t have an SVU without her.” It would be hard to continue SVU without Hargitay because she is SVU, even though Dick Wolf tried to get her fired. There’s a good chance that once she decides to leave the series for real, it would come to an end if the show doesn’t come to an end before then.

“Mariska hasn’t totally made up her mind yet, but she says she’s shooting her current episodes of SVU as if they are her last,” the source explained. “That has a lot of the cast and crew sweating bullets because they fear network execs would cancel the show rather than go on without her.” It’s never a guarantee that Law & Order: SVU will be returning for another season, but it’s always a pleasant surprise when it gets renewed. Since Season 26 did just start airing, it’s a little too early to tell if it will be back for Season 27. Of course, the hope is always that another season happens, but fans will just have to wait and see.