Law & Order: SVU season 19 finale forecast: Should we have a cliffhanger?

The Law & Order: SVU season 19 finale is going to be coming up later this spring on NBC, and for the most part the network has kept things very hush-hush as to what’s coming up. This season has done a great job of building up a great story and even withstanding a major cast change at midseason. We’ve seen Peter Stone become engrossed into this world as well as anyone can 19 years into a franchise; he’s bringing with him some of his own history and we’re sure that this will be explored further.

When it comes to the season 19 finale, CarterMatt wishes we could say that Benson and other major characters will have more of their own moment in the sun; yet, there’s probably not enough time for something like that to happen. Instead, the best thing to hope for is that the writers figure out a case that really encapsulates some of the themes of the entire season, but also something that really captures the entire tenor of the country. The Time’s Up movement hasn’t been as addressed as it could be in this season, probably in part because many of these scripts were written before it started to get going. The finale could be an opportunity to incorporate more of this into the show in hopes of depicting not only a powerful case, but how much of the country is fighting hard for some of the things that so many politicians and leaders should’ve focused on for years already: A culture based on equality where there is a zero-tolerance policy for harassment and other heinous offenses.

Beyond just the theme, it would be nice to see SVU highlight a case that is so complicated that it can’t just be resolved in a single episode. Give Benson one of her most trying cases to date, one that challenges her on an intellectual level so that every single member of the team struggles. Make it less about Olivia or anyone else being in physical danger (we’ve seen that at times over the course of the season already) and a little more about putting them in emotional danger. Have them be so invested in helping a victim that it’s hard to imagine them being able to move forward without a guilty verdict.

As for whether or not there should be a cliffhanger on the other side of the case, we do think that there could be an interesting one on the basis of Olivia’s status with the team, something that we saw addressed briefly with Fin and Dodds earlier this season. We’ve already seen stories where characters are in danger and we don’t think the writers need to go for shock value. Viewers love SVU and are going to keep watching regardless of a cliffhanger. Therefore, if you’re going to give us one, make sure it feels organic and that it stems from much of the story that we’ve had a chance to see play out so far.

What do you want to see when it comes to the Law & Order: SVU season 19 finale? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments!

(Photo: NBC.)