Law and Order: SVU has aired 18 seasons over the years, with its 400th episode airing over the weekend. During its run, it has tackled some very interesting and controversial issues, the show’s story-line evolving with time and new technologies.

But out of those 400 episodes, what has been showrunner Dick Wolf’s favourite? Well, the episode that started it all, of course!

In an interview with the New York Post, he said,

“[It] asked so many provocative questions. When you start a series with somebody’s penis being sliced off, you’d better have a pretty good reason — that was during the Serbian and Bosnian ethnic cleansing — and we touched on a lot of subjects. Chris and Mariska truly hit the ground running in that episode.”

Another iconic part of the series has been the show’s female characters, specifically Detective Olivia Benson. Liv has faced some serious stuff over the years, but Mariska Hargitay has never failed to bring her all to the table in her portrayal of the New York City detective.

“Mariska is much more than a TV actress — she’s literally a female icon for American women from the ages of 14 to 104,” the now 70-year-old explains.

“[Olivia] represents an ideal, in one sense, but a person who is relatable because of her flaws. It’s an amazing achievement that Mariska has been able to maintain this degree of focus for this long,” he continues.

So, what does the future hold for the SVU detectives? Well, Wolf believes the current season is doing well and doesn’t believe NBC, the network who airs the show, will cancel it.

However, only time will tell.