Law & Order: SVU season 24: Benson, Stabler hype wins in ratings

We don’t think it comes as much of a shock that Law & Order: SVU super-fans tuned in last night on the hopes that Benson and Stabler would kiss. The idea of this was teased in several promos, and we know a lot of people have wanted a romance here for years on end.

Did something actually happen? Well, not so much. It’s clear that Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni’s characters have feelings for each other, but Olivia couldn’t go through with it last night. There is too much risk associated with it, and we also tend to think that she hasn’t forgotten about what happened with Stabler initially leaving. That all sits in her head, even if she doesn’t want it to. These are just things that are hard to forget about, one way or another.

Now, let’s talk about the ratings. In the preliminary numbers last night, Law & Order: SVU ended up posting 5.7 million live viewers and a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic. According to a report from TVLine, this was the second-most-watched audience for the show since the season 19 finale. The only episode better? The original crossover between SVU and Organized Crime, where Meloni returned in the first place as Stabler.

We are sure that the producers were already planning to do more with Benson and Stabler before the ratings came in today, but this could just be an added incentive! The challenge here is always going to be that these two characters exist mostly on separate shows and whenever you do a crossover, it limits how much they can be involved in other things.

Still, we have a good feeling that the powers-that-be will try to make things work. There’s just so much to like with these two overall!

What do you most want to see on Law & Order: SVU season 24 moving forward?

Do you think we will actually see Benson and Stabler kiss before the season wraps up? Be sure to share right now in the comments! We’ll have other updates soon. (Photo: NBC.)

This article was written by Jessica BunBun.