Christopher Meloni’s near-kiss scene with Mariska Hargitay is still one of the most debated moments in Law & Order: SVU history, and now Meloni is finally opening up about why it didn’t land the way fans expected.
While promoting season 5 of Law & Order: Organized Crime, Meloni got real about the now-famous kitchen scene with Benson (played by Hargitay) from SVU season 24 – and he’s not sugarcoating how things went down.
Speaking during the TVLine Spotlight event in NYC, Meloni admitted, “We were attempting something. I don’t think it worked.” He didn’t go into specifics about what exactly went sideways, but he made it clear that he and Mariska were trying to make something authentic and heartfelt. Whether it translated to the screen is still up for debate – especially since the scene got major attention for finally teasing the long-burning chemistry between Benson and Stabler.
For those who need a quick refresher: In episode 12 of SVU season 24, titled Blood Out, Stabler leans in close, foreheads touching Benson’s, and it really looks like the moment fans had been waiting literal decades for. But Benson pulls back and drops the heartbreaker of a line: “I want to – I want to, but I can’t.” She goes on to say she’s not ready and fears what might happen if it all falls apart.
Christopher Meloni fans definitely felt the sting – especially since the chemistry between Benson and Stabler is basically SVU canon at this point. Meloni acknowledged how people still talk about that moment and how the actor-duo often joke about the tension in real life. Remember their near-kiss spoof at the 2022 Emmys? They know what they’re doing.
But what’s really interesting is how both actors had a totally different vision for that scene. Mariska Hargitay revealed back in 2024 that she and Meloni wanted it to go a different way, but higher-ups changed the scene last-minute. Yep, SVU creator Dick Wolf wasn’t feeling the romantic tension turning into anything more. Talk about a missed opportunity.
“Our chemistry is undeniable,” Hargitay said plainly. “It’s just the way it is.”
And that’s what’s wild about this whole thing – the people actually acting out the scenes weren’t necessarily being listened to when it came to where the story should go. Meloni even said he’s had eight showrunners in four seasons of Organized Crime, and every new one brings their own ideas and direction. So the whole “will they, won’t they” narrative? Yeah, it’s kind of been stuck in a loop with no clear ending.
Meloni added, “Each new person comes in, they got their own ideas… so we’ve had the confabs about where are we going, what are we doing? And it’s like every meeting, it doesn’t go anywhere!”
Even when he and Hargitay try to advocate for certain story arcs, it seems like the decisions are already made. That means scenes like the kitchen near-kiss end up feeling disconnected – not because of the actors, but because the storytelling behind the scenes is all over the place.
Christopher Meloni near-kiss scene talk has stirred up fans once again, especially with Organized Crime season 5 finally premiering. And with Benson and Stabler reuniting on screen after two years apart, you can bet people are going to be watching every glance, every pause, every almost-moment with fresh eyes.
The unresolved tension, the power struggles behind the scenes, and the undeniable chemistry between Meloni and Hargitay all add up to one major question: Will they ever let Benson and Stabler actually be together? Or are we just going to keep circling the same emotional drain?
Episodes 1 and 2 of Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 are already streaming on Peacock, and the OG Law & Order airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, with SVU following right after at 9 p.m. ET.
