SVU Season 25: Fans Fear Stabler's Potential Exit

Dick Wolf's Law & Order franchise is undoubtedly one of the most popular police procedural series in the world right now, with new seasons arriving every year for more than three decades. Among the iconic duos in the franchise's various shows, SVU's Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson are certainly the most popular.

So, when it was announced that Stabler would be returning to the show after a decade-long hiatus to star in his own spinoff, Organized Crime, fans were thrilled to see the two former partners reunite.

Organized Crime recently completed its third season, but it looks like the upcoming fourth instalment may very well be the last for Christopher Meloni and his character. Organized Crime has been plagued by behind-the-scenes issues since its inception, losing five showrunners in just three years because of creative differences. It seems that Meloni may be tired of all the drama and looking for a way out after the upcoming abbreviated season.

Furthermore, fans have been suspecting Stabler's departure ever since SVU season 24, in which Stabler and Benson spent a significant amount of time together. That made everyone believe the writers were planning a happy ending for the two ex-partners that would involve them becoming lovers in the upcoming season. But why should that imply that Stabler might be leaving the show?

As the long history of Law & Order has demonstrated, there's no better way to write off a character than to marry them off and send them into the sunset, leaving other characters to deal with the fallout. It seems that the writers are prepared to bid farewell to both Stabler and Benson, as the two actors are clearly tired of playing the same roles year after year.

While Meloni had a chance to rest during his sabbatical from the show, Mariska Hargitay has been portraying Olivia Benson for a quarter of a century, and she seems ready to turn a page on this chapter of her life.

So, expect Stabler and Benson to get married next season and retire from the force to spend time riding bikes and hiking instead of interrogating ruthless killers and worrying about each other's safety.