There is a reason that the Law and Order franchise is keeping Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) apart for the moment. The pair had off-the-charts chemistry when they worked together during the first 12 seasons of Law & Order: Svu, but Stabler was married with five children, so it was unlikely anything would ever happen. However, Law & Order: Svu's Benson and Stabler relationship timeline suggests that the pair had deeper feelings for one another than they were willing to admit.

Stabler returned in 2021, and his wife was murdered almost immediately. While Law & Order: Organized Crime's first season focused on Stabler's quest to get justice after Kathy's (Isabel Gillies) death, her murder also cleared the path for Benson and Stabler to eventually get together. While this initially appeared to be the case, Law & Order: Svu made the mistake of ignoring Benson and Stabler's relationship in recent seasons,...