Law & Order: SVU stars back together again! Mariska Hargitay recently reunited with one of her former castmates and fans are really in the feels. Watch the video of the nostalgic moment between Olivia Benson and this fan-favorite character below.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (known as Law & Order: SVU or just SVU), is NBC’s crime drama created and produced by Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment. It’s the first spin-off of Law & Order and follows a group of specially trained detectives in the New York City Police Department that investigate sexually related crimes.

Hargitay has played Commanding Officer Olivia Benson of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit since the very first season aired in 1999. 

Although production for Season 25 of Law & Order: SVU is halted because of the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strike – a few weeks before the actors joined the strike – Hargitay had lunch with a very special guest during her summer vacation. She shared a video of the surprise meeting to Instagram on July 7, 2023.

“Oh sure, I’m on vacation, but I do have a present for you. That’s right. ‘Cause you know what I’m thinking about… you. And action! ” the real-life Benson teased before turning the camera around to reveal Andy Karl, who appeared throughout Season 17 of SVU.

Karl portrayed Sergeant Michael “Mike” Dodds for 15 episodes of SVU. We first saw his character in Season 17, Episode 6, “Maternal Instincts,” when he was transferred to the unit by his father, Deputy Chief William Dodds.

He quickly became a beloved member of the unit and helped catch dangerous criminals with the team throughout Season 17. 

Unfortunately, Dodds’ time with Manhattan’s Special Victims Unit came to a devastating end in Season 17, Episode 23, “Heartfelt Passages.” The Sergeant was murdered after a corrupt prison guard and serial rapist took him and another victim hostage. Although fans thought Dodds might pull through at the end, he suffered a massive stroke and was left brain dead.

It was one of the toughest character losses in SVU history. 

Karl reshared Hargitay’s video of their lunch date, where he also joined the actress’ family. “Once the squad always the squad. Lunch with @therealmariskahargitay and family was a blast. #TheGiftThatKeepsOnGiving #BabyDodds #NewNewGuy #SVU,” he captioned the post before the actors’ strike. Since SVU, Karl has starred in dozens of theatrical productions on Broadway and West End, including Into the Woods, Pretty Woman: The Musical and Groundhog Day.

Fans were emotional in the comments, noting that Dodds’ tragic death felt like one of “a family member.” “I THINK I NEVER CRIED THAT BAD WITH DODD’S DEATH,” one fan penned. “I believe we all cried when Dodds went out the way he did,” another added. (The post has dozens of comments just like these remembering Karl’s adored character.) Because Dodds is dead, it’s very unlikely he’ll return to SVU in the future unless we see him in a flashback scene of some sort.

NBC announced that the next season of Law & Order: SVU will air in 2024, instead of in the fall of 2023, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This comes after the national board of the Hollywood actors’ union SAG-AFTRA approved to strike on July 13, 2023. The union represents 160,000 television and movie actors. During the strike, actors are not allowed to work union jobs, promote their respective films and shows, attend press junkets, premieres and more.

The actors’ strike comes two months after the WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) began striking on May 2, 2023. The demands requested by the actors and writers are similar: They want better compensation for TV shows and movies, higher residual payments for their work on streaming services and regulations on artificial intelligence.

When Season 25 of Law & Order: SVU does return, it could look slightly different than past seasons.

For example, episodes could be cut short due to decreased production times. (When the WGA went on strike from November 2007 to February 2008, shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, Scrubs and Friday Night Lights all experienced episode cuts, according toMovie Web.) Strike leaders say that they’re in it for the long haul – so it’s likely that filming won’t resume for a while.