Kelli Giddish is returning to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 27 and her friendship with Mariska Hargitay will make the season even better. Giddish’s character Rollins originally left the main team in Law & Order: SVU season 24 but remained an important recurring character. However, Law & Order: SVU season 27 will finally see her official return.

The show has not been the same since Rollins left as her absence has left a noticeable hole in the team. Rollins’ time on the show even led to some of the best Law & Order: SVU episodes, as her detective skills are unmatched. Even though she has had limited appearances since her departure, Giddish’s return in season 27 will be fantastic, and it largely has to do with her personal relationship with the team outside the Law & Order franchise.

SVU’s Mariska Hargitay & Kelli Giddish Are Real-Life Friends

Hargitay And Giddish Were Seen Spending Time Together

Hargitay and Giddish’s chemistry does not just happen on-screen. The pair are actually friends in real life too. Mariska Hargitay and Kelli Giddish were spotted at a Knicks game in Madison Square Garden in New York. The women’s hangout was posted on the Instagram page, nbclawandorder, with the caption, “In Benson and Brunson we trust.” In the video, the pair are photographed sitting side by side while courtside. They are also pictured holding a basketball together that says, “New York forever,” an homage to the main filming location for the Law & Order franchise and the Knicks’ home base.

The women have worked together for over 10 years, forming a close and powerful friendship over the years. Speaking with People following her Law & Order: SVU departure in 2022, Giddish has even said that her on-screen friendship with Benson mirrors her and Mariska’s relationship off-screen. Seeing the pair hang out so soon after the announcement that Giddish’s Amanda Rollins would be returning to Law & Order: SVU season 27 only adds to the happy sentiment.

Their Real-Life Friendship Can Carry Over On-Screen In Law & Order: SVU Season 27

Benson And Rollins Can Continue To Grow Their Friendship

​​​​​​Hargitay and Giddish clearly have a lot of fun when they spend time together, especially since they regularly choose to hang out outside their workplace even after being co-workers for more than a decade. As a result, it is great to see them bond again so soon before Giddish’s return to the show. While actors can always pretend to be best friends on screen, it always makes it more special to learn that the actors’ sentiments match their characters’.

Benson and Rollins have always had great chemistry, but it might even be better now that they are so excited to work together again. When Giddish’s Rollins left Law & Order: SVU a few years ago, it was not clear whether she would ever return. Her brief appearances have provided temporary solace for her departure from the team, but her official return will be even better. Now that she will also be working with Hargitay’s Benson again, the news is especially wonderful.

Hargitay Was One Of Giddish’s Biggest Champions When Her SVU Role Was Reduced

Hargitay Used Her Power To Try And Keep Rollins

Rollins’ exit seemed to come out of nowhere, but no one was more outspoken about her disappointing exit than Mariska Hargitay. As a staple of the Law & Order franchise, and the Law & Order: SVU spinoff in particular, the show would be unimaginable without Hargitay’s Benson. She has even become a producer of Law & Order: SVU, which shows the kind of power she has with the show. However, Hargitay’s fight to keep Rollins on Law & Order: SVU was not enough to stop her departure.

Having Rollins written out of the show was not only shocking, but also a tragedy for Law & Order: SVU.

As referenced in the Instagram post, Hargitay’s Benson and Giddish’s Rollins are such an iconic pairing. They are also strong, well-written, and flawed women whose pairing acts as an amazing representation of female friendships. Having Rollins written out of the show was not only shocking, but also a tragedy for Law & Order: SVU. Hargitay saw that and fought hard to keep Giddish on the show. While her fight was not enough at the time, Giddish’s return in Law & Order: SVU season 27 gives them a brand-new foundation to work with to make the show even better.