The elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit have just made TV history, with the renewal of Law & Order: SVU for a record-breaking 21st season making it the longest-running live action series of all time.
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The previous record of 20 seasons was held by a pair of shows, one of which was the original Law & Order, which ran for two decades before ending its popular run in 2010, and the other was the western Gunsmoke, which ran from 1955 to 1975.
The renewal of SVU for a 21st season also marks a personal milestone for Mariska Hargitay‘s Olivia Benson, who is now the longest-running character ever to appear in a prime-time television series.
Having played Benson for 21 years, Hargitay has beaten out James Arness and Milburn Stone, who appeared on Gunsmoke for 20 years, and Kelsey Grammer, who portrayed Frasier Crane across 20 seasons of Cheers and Frasier.
NBC Entertainment said of the milestone:
“We tip our cap to Dick Wolf, Mariska Hargitay and the amazing cast and crew of SVU, who now all go into the record book. This incredible run is an example of what happens when producers, writers and actors all come together and create a show that, year after year, speaks to its audience in a powerful way. We couldn’t be more proud of this remarkable achievement.”
