After years of being short-staffed, it feels like Olivia Benson has finally landed on her best team since becoming a Captain, but 1 line in Law & Order: SVU season 27 spells her downfall. When Dick Wolf’s most popular project debuted in 1999, it did so as an ensemble, as with most procedurals. Over time, however, countless cast reshuffles and changes in personnel, there’s no denying that Law & Order: SVU will forever be synonymous with Mariska Hargitay’s Benson.

Almost three decades later, Law & Order: SVU is the longest-running scripted show on the small screen. It’s one pillar of NBC’s 2025-2026 TV season. After Captain Cragen’s unexpected death in the season 27 premiere, Benson is the only remaining character from the original ensemble, which means that the show has followed her personal growth all these years. Now a the Captain of the Manhattan SVU, she remains committed to the cause. However, she

 

During Cragen’s memorial service, Law & Order: SVU season 27 also introduced the new Chief, Kathryn Tynan. While she wasn’t straightforwardly antagonistic, there was an expectation that sooner or later, she and Benson would be butting heads. This actually happens in the Law & Order: SVU season 27 fall finale. Tynan reprimands Benson for not coming to the presser that the Department hosted about the case, while the latter pushed back on how her boss handled the briefing.

Normally, it’s easy to side with Benson with pretty much everything. She is truly dedicated to the victims that they encounter Special Victims Unit. That said, Tynan gets to the heart of the problem with her character now that she is already a Captain. During their intense conversation, the new chief says:

Earlier in the episode, this was already mentioned. As Benson joined the search party for the victim, someone mentioned that it was surprising to see a Captain in the field. Oftentimes, this is a good sign that someone like Benson is hands-on with her job, and it also makes sense for her to be like that, considering that she was a detective for a long time.

Benson also has the ability to connect with victims because of both of her personal and professional experiences. The problem with this is that, being on the field is no longer Benson’s job, it’s to manage her team in an effective way. Unfortunately, Griffin’s mistake and the disastrous presser highlight her blindspots when it comes to her job.

Why Benson Has No Choice But To Change In SVU Season 27

Simply put, Benson would be more effective in her job if she moved to a managerial mindset instead of doing the same things that she could deligate to her team. Granted that Tynan clearly has an ulterior motive in Law & Order: SVU season 27, but she could have mitigated the disastrous presser if Benson actually went to it and had someone who was also there when they found the victim to talk to her.