“True fans will note...” Oh, okay. So those of us who still enjoyed SVU after he left, aren’t true fans? I would argue that not only did the series not suffer, it thrived and so did Benson’s character. (Not claiming it was perfect but nothing is.) https://twitter.com/latimesent/status/1380181605327642626

And who is this person claiming what fans really want? EO/Bensler fans form a huge part of the base but they’re NOT the entire fandom. This article was written for them, not for all of us.

Let me remind this writer that post-Stabler, we got Sonny Carisi, Amanda Rollins, Nick Amaro and the most amazing ADA in SVU history (besides Cabot), Rafael Barba, who is a GEM.

How can anyone argue SVU suffered after Baer and Stabler left when we GOT RAFAEL BARBA.

Oh yeah, Olivia Benson also adopted a son and was in a stable relationship.

But tell me how the show suffered.

Stabler was a huge part of the show. No denying it. But the linchpin is the woman who has been there all 22 seasons and counting. Olivia Margaret Benson. The “heart of SVU” according to John Munch.