A Law & Order Star Gets An Unofficial Lifetime Achievement Nod At The Emmys

September 16, 2025

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The Primetime Emmy Awards are a night to honor the television we watch all year, from the actors on screen to the writers who give them the words to say, and one Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star is certainly worthy of the honor that came with presenting.

Stars from different Law & Order shows were all on hand to present the award for Best Drama Series. The group included S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order), Tony Goldwyn (Law & Order), Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Organized Crime), Ice-T (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), and Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).

The 2025 Emmys utilized some very recognizable set pieces during their presentations, like Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel reuniting in front of their Gilmore Girls house. The Law & Order franchise stars presented from a portion of a squad room and got in a Lifetime Achievement Roast for one of their own.

The Law & Order Crew Turned Their Presenter Bit Into An Unofficial Lifetime Achievement Award For Mariska Hargitay

Law & Order franchise cast members Ice-T, Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, S. Epatha Merkeson, and Tony Goldwyn pose together at the 2025 Emmy Awards

Though award show presentations can sometimes be a little stilted because the actors have not had as much time to prepare their bits as they have for their scenes for the shows in which they star, that does not mean the lines do not still land. That’s the case for the Law & Order stars as they lauded Mariska Hargitay during their presentation.

The stars were there to talk about the best TV drama series, but they noted that Hargitay has an impressive record on television, starring as Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU for nearly 27 years.

The cast members praised Hargitay for her work in the role as well as the character for playing the duality of strength and empathy well. Of course, they could not pass up the opportunity for a “Lifetime Achievement Roast,” as they called it.

The Law & Order franchise actually celebrated its 35th anniversary on September 13, 2025, so it’s fitting that stars from the franchise would be at the Emmys for the anniversary weekend, celebrating not just television dramas, but the cast member of their own franchise with the most episodes as well.

Mariska Hargitay Is The Longest-Running Primetime Live-Action Actress Of All Time

Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson smiling in Law & Order SVU — Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson smiling in Law & Order SVU

Hargitay officially became the longest-running primetime live-action actress of all time in 2025. She has played the same character for primetime television in more than 500 episodes. In fact, she will reach episode 600 as Olivia Benson during Law & Order: SVU season 27.

That is because Hargitay has not just played Olivia in SVU. She has also appeared as the same character in three other shows in the Law & Order franchise, as well as in crossovers with Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire.

Her work as Olivia Benson also inspired her to make a documentary about the backlog of untested rape kits around the country, called I Am Evidence, in 2017. She also started a non-profit organization called Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004, which helps survivors of sexual assault. Her work as Olivia Benson has become a part of her off-screen life as well.

Hargitay is unique because most actors who play live-action roles for that long a period of time are in daytime television. Soap operas could see someone in a role for decades. The longest-running TV characters, by years, include several in soaps and animated characters from shows like The Simpsons.

Hargitay is in good company, though. One of the other actors who played a primetime television character the longest is Sam Waterston, who played lawyer-turned-judge Jack McCoy in the Law & Order franchise. He began playing the character in 1994 and last played the character in 2024 for a total of 413 episodes and one TV movie.

That means Hargitay still has nearly 200 episodes on Waterston, despite becoming part of the franchise five years after him. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before the Law & Order franchise cast members jokingly roasting Hargitay for her decades as Olivia Benson becomes a real special honoring her work with the show.

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