TVXOHOF, MAY 2023 - OLIVIA BENSON, LONGEST-RUNNING PRIME-TIME TV CHARACTER

Sorry I'm late in delivering this.

And speaking of Time, it was about time for this induction.....

CAPTAIN OLIVIA BENSON, NYPD

From Wikipedia:

Olivia Margaret Benson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC police procedural drama 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit', portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. Benson holds the rank and pay-grade of Captain and is the Commanding Officer of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, which operates out of the 16th Precinct. She investigates sexual offenses such as rape and child sexual abuse.

When the series began, Benson held the rank of detective. Benson was partnered with Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), serving as the junior member of the pair. Following Stabler's departure at the end of the 12th season after a deadly shootout in the precinct, she is partnered with Detective Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) and becomes the senior member. During the 15th season, Benson is promoted to sergeant and appointed as squad supervisor in the wake of the retirement of Sergeant John Munch (Richard Belzer). Soon afterward, Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) retires, and appoints Benson acting commanding officer of SVU until Lieutenant Declan Murphy (Donal Logue) comes to the squad. In Season 17, she is promoted to Lieutenant and becomes the squad's official commanding officer. She is promoted to Captain in the 21st season.

The character first appeared in the 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' pilot episode, "Payback", which aired September 20, 1999. Hargitay remains the only original cast member still present on the series. As of season 24, Benson has been credited in 538 episodes of SVU (559 in the franchise/universe).

With the premiere of season 21, Hargitay's Benson became the longest running prime-time live-action character of all time, surpassing the record held by Marshall Matt Dillon of  'Gunsmoke' and Kelsey Grammer's character Frasier Crane from 'Cheers' and 'Frasier', as well as Belzer’s John Munch, who was a regular character for 22 seasons (7 on 'Homicide: Life on the Street' and 15 on SVU).

[The key word is "prime-time".  According to Wikipedia - "As of 2023, William Roache holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving actor in a television soap opera, having played Ken Barlow on Coronation Street since 1960."]

List of assignments

• Patrol Officer, NYPD 55th Precinct (1992)16th Precinct (1993)
• Junior Detective, NYPD 16th Precinct (Special Victims Unit) (May 1998–May 18, 2011)
• Senior Detective, NYPD 16th Precinct (Special Victims Unit) (September 21, 2011 – January 15, 2014)
• Acting Commanding Officer (Sergeant), NYPD 16th Precinct (Special Victims Unit) (January 22, 2014 – April 9, 2014)
• Sergeant—Supervisor Detective Squad, NYPD 16th Precinct (Special Victims Unit) (April 9, 2014 – May 21, 2014)
• Acting Commanding Officer (Sergeant), NYPD 16th Precinct (Special Victims Unit) (May 21, 2014 – October 7, 2015)
• Lieutenant—Commander Detective Squad, NYPD 16th Precinct (Special Victims Unit) (October 7, 2015 – September 26, 2019)
• Captain, Commanding Officer, NYPD 16th Precinct (Special Victims Unit) (September 26, 2019—Present)

Temporary assignments

• Detective, NYPD Computer Crimes Unit (May 2, 2006 – May 9, 2006)
• Undercover operative, FBI Domestic Terrorism Unit (September 19, 2006 – October 31, 2006)
• Special Deputy United States Marshal for the Eastern District of New York (October 6, 2010)
• Public Relations Officer, NYPD One Police Plaza (Public Relations) (March 2, 2016 – March 23, 2016)

Ranks

• Officer
• Detective 3rd Grade
• Detective 2nd Grade
• Detective 1st Grade (Shield number 40115)
•  Sergeant (Shield number 01139)
•  Lieutenant
•  Captain

OLIVIA BENSON
CREDITS TALLY
(As of 5/19/2023)

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT

538 episodes

LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME

13 episodes

LAW & ORDER

5 episodes

CHICAGO P.D.

3 episodes

CHICAGO FIRE

1 episode

LAW & ORDER: TRIAL BY JURY

1 episode

O'Bservation: I have to take it on faith that Benson is in the background with Stabler, who can be seen in the distance.

SKITLANDIA

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

1 episode

O'Bservation: This was actually an appearance by the televersion of Mariska Hargitay playing Olivia Benson in a 'Game of Thrones' version of 'Law & Order'.  (She appeared with Ice-T's televersion of Fin Tuotola, who was inducted into the TVXOHOF in February of 2020.)

From Wikipedia:
Benson appears on five episodes of Law & Order, one episode of Law & Order: Trial by Jury, three episodes of Chicago P.D. and one episode of Chicago Fire.

• Law & Order: "Entitled: Part 2" (February 18, 2000)
• Law & Order: "Fools for Love" (February 23, 2000)
• Law & Order: Trial by Jury: "Day" (May 3, 2005)
• Law & Order: "Flaw" (September 28, 2005)
• Chicago P.D.: "They'll Have to Go Through Me" (November 12, 2014)
• Chicago Fire: "We Called Her Jellybean" (April 28, 2015)
• Chicago P.D.: "The Number of Rats" (April 29, 2015)
• Chicago P.D.: "The Song of Gregory William Yates" (February 10, 2016)
• Law & Order: "Black and Blue" (May 19, 2022)
• Law & Order: "Gimme Shelter – Part Three" (September 22, 2022)
• Law & Order: Organized Crime

To date, Benson further appears recurringly as a special guest in [thirteen] episodes of the spin-off 'Law & Order: Organized Crime':

• "What happens in Puglia" (April 1, 2021)
• "Not Your Father's Organized Crime" (April 8, 2021)
• "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of" (April 22, 2021)
• "An Inferior Product" (May 13, 2021)
• "Forget It Jake; It's Chinatown" (June 3, 2021)
• "The Outlaw Eddie Wagner" (September 30, 2021)
• "The Good, The Bad, and The Lovely" (October 14, 2021)
• "The Christmas Episode" (December 9, 2021)
• "Takeover" (March 10, 2022)
• "Lost One" (May 5, 2022)
• "Gimme Shelter – Part One" (September 22, 2022)
• "Shadowerk" (May 11, 2023)
• "With Many Names" (May 18, 2023)

I think it's safe to say that Olivia Benson is the Queen of TV Crossovers.

Welcome to the Hall, Captain.  Long may she reign....