Law & Order: SVU Stars Mariska Hargitay, Tamara Tunie Discuss Authenticity

As Law & Order: SVU continues its record-breaking 21st season on NBC, the show was celebrated with a Paley Center Special that aired on NBC on Thursday. It gave fans of the show a closer look at what the stars and production team go through to bring authenticity to the show.

Law & Order: SVU Digs Deep

In doing so, they reunited much of the show’s cast, including current lead Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson), along with former contract castmember (and occasional guest star) Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner), as well as former lead Chris Meloni (ex-Elliot Stabler).

Each star was featured in this clip sharing what they did to try to make their part as authentic as possible, realizing they wanted to do the incredible subject matter justice and how important it was for them to do just that.

Fan Response

Tunie, who would be used to fans coming up to her from her time as a soap star on the now-defunct CBS soap, As the World Turns, recalled a moment when SVU fans (who happened to also teach forensic science), gave their opinion on how well the show handles that aspect — and what she says may surprise you. You can watch the clip above to find out how that went down.