If you happen to stroll into my residence on any given day, Regulation & Order: Particular Victims Unit is all however assured to be on the TV. I’ve watched the present ever since my grandma tuned into one of many now-ubiquitous marathons throughout a sleepover after I was 9 (questionable to introduce a preteen to a collection about intercourse crimes, however I digress). The occasions that unfolded onscreen had been disturbing; I used to be instantly hooked. To this present day, I refuse to chop the cable twine, paying a ridiculously excessive Spectrum invoice simply to maintain these marathons coming.
As anybody who has spent a full Saturday watching channels like USA or ION can let you know, there’s lots to like about SVU, together with its engrossing characters and the ripped-from-the-headlines tales. Now in its twenty fourth season, the present stays the longest-running prime-time live-action collection on tv — and its star, Mariska Hargitay, portrays the longest-running feminine character on community TV, Detective Olivia Benson.
Benson manages to be empathetic and commanding on the similar time — and she or he does all of it with out a lot as a hair misplaced. Which brings me to my level: Benson — er, Hargitay — has unimaginable hair, a lot in order that it’s turn out to be a star in its personal proper. Ask any SVU diehard to ID an episode primarily based on Benson’s hair; they’ll get it proper, and I’m not simply saying that as a result of I can do it (I’ve additionally gained SVU trivia night time and stroll round NYC in a “dun dun” baseball cap, so I’m keen to contemplate that I could be the outlier right here).
Hargitay’s present shoulder-length waves have turn out to be her signature onscreen and off, however her hair evolution has been dramatic. She’s worn every thing from a darkish layered lob to a highlighted pixie minimize, and in keeping with the star, it’s been a wild trip. “I like to mess around and take a look at new seems to be, however I’ve positively had some hair crises through the years,” says Hargitay, who additionally serves as an SVU government producer and has directed quite a lot of episodes. “I had quick hair for some time, after which I hated having to develop it out. We did not have the styling proper, and I made some errors with the colour too. I used to be attempting stuff out and did not have the expertise with hair or the eye to element that I’ve at present. Now I do know instantly what works and what doesn’t, but it surely took me a while to get there.”
