Law & Order: SVU 500th episode promo: Cragen is back!

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Last night NBC released the first Law & Order: SVU 500th episode promo — and yea, it wastes no time hitting you in the feels.

In advance of this episode, we knew that there would be some characters from the past turning up. Nick Amaro’s appearance was first hyped some time ago, and we also knew that Mariska Hargitay’s real-life husband Peter Hermann would be reprising his own role.

So what about Cragen? You get a chance to see Dann Florek back as his character in the promo, as he congratulates and celebrates Benson on her being a Captain. In his mind, this is everything he could have wanted for her. There’s also a moment from Benson herself, where she proclaims that there’s nothing else she’s ever wanted to do.

We’re sure that there are going to be some powerful, reflective moments for Hargitay and some other longtime cast members over the course of this episode. Ultimately, there really should be! There are only so many shows that even get a 100th episode, let alone ones that make it anywhere close to that. We want there to be nostalgia at every turn, but also of course some fantastic stuff in the present. We know that Amaro’s return is, one way or another, tied to the case at the heart of this hour. We’ll just see where things go.

Is it possible that SVU could get to a landmark 600th episode down the road? At this point, we can’t rule it out! It feels impossible to rule almost anything would with this show after the incredible journey it’s had to make it to this point.

What do you most want to see when it comes to Law & Order: SVU and the 500th episode?

Are there any other callbacks you’re hoping to see? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, stick around for all sorts of other updates. (Photo: NBC.)

This article was written by Jess Carter.

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