Law & Order: SVU's renewal gives Dick Wolf another chance to break Gunsmoke's record -- thanks to Mariska Hargitay

Deadline

In 2010, NBC canceled Law & Order after 20 seasons, denying Wolf as shot at breaking Gunsmoke's 20-season TV record. Now Wolf has another chance to break the record following NBC's Season 20 renewal of SVU. Wolf has a better shot because of Hargitay. "As the mastermind behind the Law & Order franchise, Wolf has been instrumental in Law & Order: SVU’s staying power, but a major part of the credit has to go to star Hargitay who plays the show’s iconic Lt. Olivia Benson of the Special Victims Unit of the NYPD, an elite squad of detectives that investigates sexually based crimes," says Nellie Andreeva. "The role has earned her an Emmy Award and eight nominations for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. While the mothership Law & Order series went through multiple lead cast overhauls, with none of the original cast members staying past Season 10, Hargitay has been Law & Order: SVU‘s heart and soul since the pilot, leading the cast for 20 seasons. The last 19 of them she has had Ice-T by her side."