#SVU’ Season 23 Begin With Olivia Benson Injured?

Mariska Hargitay, who stars as Captain Olivia Benson, broke her ankle in July and has shared photos of the cast and, later, boot she’s had as a result to her Instagram as she’s healed. She also shared a photo from July 21 showing she’s on crutches. So what might that mean for Benson when Season 23 begins on September 23? It will be written into the new season.

The injury is going to “be addressed in the season premiere,” though she won’t be on crutches, according to TVLine.

Other teases about the premiere suggest that we’ll see more of the night Sergeants Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) and Phoebe Baker (Jennifer Esposito) were supposed to get married in the Season 22 finale. (They decided they’re happy with how things are.) Hargitay was spotted on set wearing the same dress she wore to the event. That may explain why posts shared on Instagram by Hargitay and Christopher Meloni (who plays Detective Elliot Stabler, now on his own spinoff, Organized Crime) suggested another crossover to kick off the 2021-2022 season.

Last we saw the former partners in the SVU finale, Benson told Stabler how the couple met (she was his first partner), and the two exchanged a significant glance and toasted to partners. However, we then saw both of them over on Organized Crime‘s finale, during which mobster Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) had his wife text Benson to meet Stabler at the hospital where his ex-wife Angela (Tamara Taylor) was.

We’ll have to wait to find out just how SVU is going to address what happened to Hargitay offscreen onscreen and if it ties at all into anything from last season on either Law & Order show.

Law & Order: SVU, 2-Hour Season 23 Premiere, Thursday, September 23, 8/7c, NBC