Between its dynamite cast and endless rotation of goosebump-inducing guest stars, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has become a

cultural phenomenon for a myriad of reasons. One of those reasons? The nail-biting crossover episodes.

 

 

Over the years, Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) has crossed paths with many other characters within the Law & Order and One Chicago universes⁠. Whether she’s helping out her friends in the Windy City or teaming up with her former partner, Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), the crossover episodes are some of the most exciting for SVU fans as Benson’s reach grows wider.

Fans never tire of watching these SVU badasses kick criminal butt, leading to dozens of must-watch crossover episodes across Dick Wolf’s sprawling TV franchise. Check out some of the most unforgettable SVU crossover episodes, below:

 

 

An early yet unforgettable SVU crossover moment occurred when Benson and Stabler got roped into an intense serial rapist case alongside the attorneys of Law & Order: Trial by Jury. The episode was star-studded with powerhouse A-listers; Bradley Cooper guest starred as Jason Whitaker, a defense attorney tasked with representing a wealthy client accused of sexually assaulting illegal immigrants.

One of the most thrilling crossover moments for fans of Wolf’s equally-renowned One Chicago franchise was when three different shows combined to bust down a decades-old child pornography ring case. Benson helped the Chicago P.D. team after the Chicago Fire heroes turned in incriminating evidence found during a house fire call.

A sad and nail-biting crossover occurs during Season 16 of SVU and Season 2 of Chicago P.D. after the Ted Bundy-inspired serial rapist Greg Yates kidnaps Chicago’s P.D.’s Nadia (Stella Maeve). He kidnaps Nadia and tortures her as he drives to NYC, right into Benson’s territory. Voight (Jason Beghe) travels to New York alongside Fin (Ice T) and Amaro (Danny Pino) to track down Nadia’s location, but it’s unfortunately too late.

Law & Order: Organized Crime was born from a deep-seated love of SVU fan-favorite partners Benson and Stabler. After Stabler left NYC for some time, his return brought an emotional reunion between the two former partners. There are many great crossover moments during OC’s first season, but one of the most intense episodes is when Benson led an intervention for Stabler after the death of his wife. Benson is Stabler’s most loyal friend, and Stabler’s gratitude for her was palpable in this extremely well-acted episode.

Shortly following the death of Stabler’s wife during Organized Crime, Stabler gave Benson a letter that left SVU fans reeling. The letter’s contents were not revealed, but Benson was upset after reading it. A season later, after Stabler was drugged during a chaotic undercover case, he arrived at Benson’s apartment to finally talk about the infamous letter. The scene was a heavy one, proving that Stabler and Benson’s relationship is just as complex now as it was during Stabler’s original tenure on SVU. Maybe even more?

Stabler may be busy with the OCCB, but he’s made time to get closer to Benson now that they’re back in the same city. While both partners have kept their relationship “platonic,” their explosive chemistry reached a boiling point after Stabler tried to kiss Benson in SVU’s “Blood Out.” Benson turned away at the last moment, but it’s clear that there are some complex feelings between the friends as they grow closer with time.

Season 24 of SVU and Season 3 of Organized Crime ended with a gripping four-part crossover finale that saw the OCCB and SVU tracking down the perp responsible for creating a massive murder-for-hire website. Benson was shot during the chaotic turmoil, but with Stabler’s help and her swift recovery, the powerhouse dup soon got their villain. Along the way, viewers got some long-awaited time between Benson and Stabler as the former partners reconnected over takeout amid their stakeout.

Benson is set to reunite with the O.G. Law & Order squad in a thrilling two-part crossover. Based on the episode logline, Benson gets a mysterious call that leads her to a brutal murder. After the SVU teams up with Lt. Jessica Brady’s (Maura Tierney) detectives, they unveil a series of assaults and murders, leading ADAs Carisi (Peter Scanavino) and Price (Hugh Dancy) to join forces in hopes of taking the suspect down for multiple charges.