The biggest problem with Amaro to me was that it seems as if they tried to replicate Stabler and it failed. Yes, Stabler was a hothead, but he was passionate. Amaro was just a brute! Stabler is irreplacable.

I caught the finale, and I will NEVER wrap my head around Liv running that unit. She can't be objective about rape to save her damn life, and then she lucks up on a kid? Sigh...

However, Liv and Tucker, I'd tune in for that. Ice T has been reduced to a purse holder and the other 2 aren't even worth typing about.

Edited May 24, 201511 yr by ChitHappens

It'll never happen...but is it OK if I wish that Anita Van Buren would come back???

The show needs to go back to focusing on half of it being law and the other half being order. To much of their personal lives and I don't care.

It'll never happen...but is it OK if I wish that Anita Van Buren would come back???

To run the SVU squad? I wish it WERE possible. Olivia might have seniority, but she is just not credible enough to run...well, anything. Honestly, if not for the fact that Mariska Hargitay has become the "face" of this show, I would have no trouble with seeing her gone.

In fact, there are a great many things I'd like to see gone from this show, including the "L&O" half of its title, the opening sequence and title cards, and even the music cues (including the iconic "dun-dun"). I'd relaunch the show as just "Special Victims Unit," or "SVU," without the L&O attachment and start fresh with a whole new squad (except for Kelli Giddish, perhaps, in order to maintain SOME continuity) with a minimum of personal baggage.

Edited May 25, 201511 yr by Khan

I would totally love to see "Lieu" come and head up SVU. Anita Van Buren is hands down my favorite female character in the entire L&O franchise (followed by Alex Eames). From the last couple of seasons of the original L&O, Cyrus Lupo became a terrific character. If Jeremy Sisto was available and in NYC, I'd love to see him on SVU. We can always dream, right?

Honestly, I don't see SVU lasting past this next season. Even though I still watch it, it just seems...tired. The cast seems tired, especially Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T, who have been on for so long.

Have we heard anything about cast additions - i.e. the replacement for Amaro/Pino? I haven't.

The show needs to go back to focusing on half of it being law and the other half being order. To much of their personal lives and I don't care.

!!!!!!!!!!!

I f-cking hate Rollins and 90 percent of it comes from the episodes revolving around her personal life.

I have to admit that I was a little worried watching the show the other night - I thought that Raul Esparza was leaving the show! I literally got back online at 3 in the morning to Google his name to see if he was or not. Since nothing was mentioned, and later on I see that he is in the next episode (which is not slated to air until April 26th...how stupid is that?), I calmed down. He's been my favorite on SVU since he joined back in 2012. I wish Olivia would open up her eyes and wake up. I never liked her with Cassidy and am still scratching my head that TIIC thought pairing her with Ed "Mother" Tucker was a good idea (bleccch!!). The scene where Barba found out about it and hit the roof was golden, and you could tell that he was not upset about it just for professional reasons. When the series finally does come to an end (and it will last as long as Mariska wants to stay - she IS the face of SVU, for better or worse), I hope that Benson retires from the NYPD and that she and Noah walk off into the sunset with Barba, who decides to retire from the DA's office and goes into private practice. She would still be an advocate for victims in some capacity.

 

They deeply respect each other professionally (even when they don't agree - which is often), and have a warm, natural friendship. There's mutual trust. There's also the way he always looks deeply into her eyes when he talks to her, and the way he says "Liv". She finally called him Rafael for the first time ever (and introducing him to other people on the job doesn't count). Maybe there will be a payoff before the show ends someday.

So far I have not been impressed with the new season. I am surprised that Chris Meloni has yet to show up as Stabler in a Special Guest Star arc. I still have a feeling it will eventually happen, and if it does the ratings will skyrocket AND it will pump some much-needed life into the proceedings. Much of SVU post-Munch and Cragen has been on autopilot.

@amybrickwallace   What do you think about the Brooke Shields arc? For once I'd like to see a guest character that doesn't go nuclear. Wouldn't it be nice to have a support system that helps Benson rather than one that inevitably kidnaps the kid? (That's what I can see the writers doing for ratings).

 

And, of course, they went there...

Edited January 4, 20188 yr by slick jones

I don't like how much time they devote to Olivia's personal life. I wish they'd devote full episodes to the police work.

On 10/30/2017 at 12:30 PM, amybrickwallace said:

I don't like how much time they devote to Olivia's personal life. I wish they'd devote full episodes to the police work.

 

Mariska wouldn't have it any other way!  I only see promos for this show and even they are annoying as hell!  

On Tuesday, October 31, 2017 at 2:18 PM, ChitHappens said:

 

Mariska wouldn't have it any other way!  I only see promos for this show and even they are annoying as hell!  

 

Sad but true!! At least it's better than Olivia's "romance" with Ed "Mother" Tucker. After years of animosity between them, I could see them mellowing out and becoming friendly colleagues, but lovers? Just...no. #MYEYES

On 10/30/2017 at 1:53 AM, slick jones said:

@amybrickwallace   What do you think about the Brooke Shields arc? For once I'd like to see a guest character that doesn't go nuclear. Wouldn't it be nice to have a support system that helps Benson rather than one that inevitably kidnaps the kid? (That's what I can see the writers doing for ratings).

 

And, of course, they went there...

 

Little hard to believe Brooke Shields as a grandma.