Mariska Hargitay Surprised by Emmy-Winning Actress on Set of ‘Law & Order: SVU’

Mariska Hargitay got quite the surprise from an Emmy winner while filming the latest episode of Law & Order: SVU.

In Thursday’s episode, “Gimmick,” while investigating a murder case at an expo, Hargitay’s Captain Olivia Benson gets some useful information from a flirtatious pro fighter played by Melissa McCarthy.

Evidently, Hargitay had no idea that her longtime friend would be guest starring in that week’s episode. The Mike & Molly star posted a fun Instagram reel of the whole ordeal, which she and the SVU crew kept under wraps until it was time to film the scene. McCarthy was wearing an old lady mask to disguise herself.

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“Sometimes you just have to show up to give a proper ATTA GIRL to a total (ultimate) boss lady,” McCarthy wrote in the caption. “Turns out it is VERY hard trying to keep secrets from @therealmariskahargitay on her set but we managed to pull it off and in a world where things are heavy and dark but this day was PURE JOY. Mariska, you are the real deal. Sorry everyone lied to you, hope it was worth it (this surprise was six years in the making people)!!! PS LOOK MA I FINALLY MADE IT ON LAW & ORDER!!!!!”

In the video, it takes a few seconds for Hargitay to register McCarthy when she walks on set, but she was very happy about it and admitted they would have to change the entire dialogue. Everyone on the crew was also happy that their surprise went as planned, even though McCarthy said Hargitay was “very hard to trick.”

McCarthy’s appearance was not the only surprise that fans and Hargitay got as of late. NBC officially handed out a Season 28 renewal to the long-running drama earlier this month, cementing the show’s reign as the longest-running primetime drama on broadcast. Law & Order, unfortunately, has not yet been renewed and will be up against sophomore dramas The Hunting Party and Brilliant Minds, as well as several drama pilots for a spot on the 2026-2027 schedule.

There are still a handful of episodes left in SVU’s 27^th season, which will come to an end on May 14, so it’s possible there will be even more surprises in store. However, it will be hard to beat Melissa McCarthy’s surprise. Fans can watch the episode now on Peacock. Her appearance may be brief, but it’s certainly memorable.