Before Law & Order: SVU, Mariska Hargitay Starred In A Very Different Cop Show

Olivia Benson might abide by the law, but one of Mariska Hargitay's earlier roles had her playing a street-smart, denim-clad parolee. The actor starred in the short-lived 1986 crime drama "Downtown," which followed LAPD detective John Forney (Michael Nouri) as he oversaw an experimental parole program. One of the four parolees under his watch was Hargitay's Jesse Smith, whom he recruited to assist with criminal investigations.

The series lasted one season, but Hargitay's Jesse appeared in every episode. With multiple arrests for assault and battery involving her martial arts skills, cooperating with Forney is her last chance to stay out of prison.

In a 2025 interview with Allure, the actor revisited an old photo of her rocking a pixie cut that made her reminisce about the CBS drama. "This is one of the first series that I did called 'Downtown,' where I played an ex-con," Hargitay said. "And I think I really did well here with the look."

Hargitay was 22 when she starred in "Downtown," playing opposite Blair Underwood, Millicent Martin, and Robert Englund. Although the cop drama didn't attract enough viewers to survive, with its pilot getting called "far-fetched, dopey, and downright sad" by The New York Times, it marked Hargitay's first foray into the genre. Despite auditioning multiple times for an iconic sitcom earlier in her career, Hargitay ultimately found lasting success in crime dramas.

"Downtown" gave Mariska Hargitay her first regular series gig and paved the way for her career-defining performance on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Before becoming Detective Olivia Benson, Hargitay was already no stranger to police procedurals. She previously suited up as Officer Angela Garcia in "Tequila and Bonetti," Detective Penny Hatfield in the American adaptation of "Cracker: Mind Over Murder," and NYPD Detective Nina Echeverria in "Prince Street."

Much like "Downtown," those series were short-lived. This didn't get in the way of Hargitay playing the longest-running character in U.S. television as Detective Benson, a role she's held since 1999. Few actors can claim the same role for nearly three decades, but Hargitay is one of them.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" has been renewed for Season 28 at NBC as of this writing. Showrunner Michele Fazekas told TVLine that we can expect a lot more from Hargitay in the upcoming episodes. "In the new season, we can be strategic about how we don't have everybody for every single episode — except for Mariska, obviously," she said.