23 "Law And Order: SVU" Cast And Guest Stars In Season 1 Vs. Season 21

Mariska Hargitay has starred in 460 episodes and counting.

1. Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson

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Mariska made her first appearance as Olivia Benson in the pilot episode of SVU in 1999. She's the only original cast member that is still a series regular.

2. Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler

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Chris made his first appearance as Elliot Stabler in the pilot. Since leaving the series in 2011, he's starred in numerous TV shows such as Happy!, Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, and The Handmaid's Tale.

3. Dann Florek as Donald Cragen

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Dann made his first appearance as Donald Cragen in the pilot. Since departing SVU as a series regular in 2013, Dann hasn't done much acting. His last notable acting credit is when he appeared in a 2015 episode of SVU.

4. Richard Belzer as John Munch

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Richard first appeared as John Munch in the pilot of SVU. He departed the series in 2013 and has since retired from acting. His last notable role was an episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt where he reprised his SVU character.

5. Michelle Hurd as Monique Jeffries

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Michelle made her first appearance in the pilot as Monique Jeffries and appeared on the series until Season 2. Since SVU, Michelle has starred in ER, Gossip Girl, Blindspot, and she can be seen in the upcoming series Star Trek: Picard.

6. Dean Winters as Brian Cassidy

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Dean first recurred as Brian Cassidy in the pilot of SVU and he actually reprised his role in 2019. Since SVU, Dean is best known for his work in 30 Rock, Divorce, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

7. Angie Harmon as Abbie Carmichael

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Angie brought her Law & Order character to SVU for six episodes in Season 1. Since leaving the Law & Order universe, Angie went on to star in Rizzoli & Isles.

8. Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy

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Sam's Law & Order character crossed over on SVU for the first time in Season 1, Episode 15. He returned to the show in a 2018 episode as well. Currently, Sam stars on Grace and Frankie as Sol Bergstein.

9. Jesse L. Martin as Ed Green

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Jesse first brought his Law & Order character to SVU during Season 1. Currently, Jesse stars on The Flash as Joe West.

10. Audra McDonald as Audrey Jackson

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Audra appeared in two episodes of Season 1 as Audrey Jackson, a forensic psychologist. Since SVU, Audra has won numerous Tony Awards and starred in Private Practice and The Good Fight.

11. J.K. Simmons as Dr. Emil Skoda

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J.K. appeared in Seasons 1 and 2 of SVU as Dr. Emil Skoda, a psychiatrist who worked for the NYPD. After SVU, J.K. won an Academy Award for his work in Whiplash and most recently appeared in the Veronica Mars revival.

12. Lance Reddick as Dr. Taylor

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Lance appeared in several episodes during Seasons 1 and 2 as Dr. Taylor, a medical examiner. Most recently, he starred in Bosch and American Horror Story.

13. Bebe Neuwirth

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Bebe appeared in Season 1, Episode 3. Later, she played an entirely different person on SVU when her Law & Order: Trial by Jury character crossed over. Most recently, Bebe starred in several episodes of Blue Bloods.

14. Denis O'Hare

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Denis appeared in Season 1, Episode 16. He would later return to SVU playing an entirely different character during Season 14. Most recently, Denis starred in American Horror Story, This Is Us, and Big Little Lies.

15. Kelly Bishop

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Kelly first appeared on SVU in Season 1, Episode 22. She returned to SVU as a totally different character during Season 10. Of course, Kelly went on to star as Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls.

16. Jennifer Esposito

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Jennifer appeared in Season 1, Episode 20. She recently appeared on SVU during Season 20 as a completely different character. Currently, Jennifer can be seen in Amazon's The Boys.

17. Andrew McCarthy

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Andrew appeared in the Season 1 finale of SVU. Most recently, he directed several episodes of Orange Is the New Black.

18. Selenis Leyva

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Selenis appeared in Season 1, Episode 4. Later, she returned to SVU as a totally different character in Season 20. Most recently, she starred in Orange Is the New Black as Gloria Mendoza.

19. Norbert Leo Butz

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Norbert appeared in Season 1, Episode 17 of SVU. Most recently, he starred in Fosse/Verdon as Paddy Chayefsky.

20. Daniel Sunjata

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Daniel appeared in Season 1, Episode 20. Later, he returned to SVU as a completely different character during Season 5. He currently stars in the upcoming series The Stand.

21. Rick Gonzalez

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Rick appeared in Season 1, Episode 16. Currently, he stars on Arrow as Rene Ramirez.

22. Ice-T as Fin Tutuola

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So, Ice-T technically didn't join SVU until the beginning of Season 2, but it's hard to imagine the show without Fin Tutuola. Next to Mariska, he's appeared in the most episodes.

23. And finally, here's Mariska and Christopher together.

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Benson and Stabler forever!