The toughest cop out there is now patrolling the subways: Olivia Benson. The MTA has released a limited-edition “Law & Order: SVU” MetroCard featuring Mariska Hargitay, 60, in honor of the show’s 25th season. According to Time Out
New York, there are a total of 50,000 specialty MetroCards with Hargitay’s face on them. They are available at specific vending machines in locations across Midtown Manhattan, including 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center, Times Sq-42 St, Grand Central-42 St, 34 St-Penn Station and 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal. This isn’t the first time the MTA system has issued specialty cards in honor of a TV show. In 2018, there were limited-edition “Game of Thrones” MetroCards featuring Jon
SNOW (Kit Harington), Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), Cersei Lannister (Lena Heady) and the evil Night King, to celebrate that show’s final season, which aired on
HBO in 2019. However, 250,000 cards were released at the time, a considerably higher number than “SVU’s” 50,000 cards. More than 3 million people pass through the subway on a daily basis. So, not everyone who wants a card will be able get one. It’s first come, first serve. The MTA previously issued limited-edition cards with homages to famous figures such as Dolly Parton, KISS to celebrate the rock band’s final show and Notorious B.I.G., to honor what would have been the late rapper’s 50th birthday. The first spinoff of the “Law & Order” franchise, “SVU,” premiered in 1999, following Olivia Benson (Hargitay), Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and the rest of their team as they investigate sexually based crimes. The
NBC series has the distinction of being the longest running primetime live action series on
American TV. (It’s closely followed by the original “Law & Order,” but that series isn’t in the lead since it ended its first run in 2010 before its 2022 revival. Star Sam Waterson recently made his exit after 30 years. It’s also the only primetime show to premiere in the ‘90s and stay in continuous production. Meloni left the show in 2011, but has since returned to the franchise in the spinoff “Law & Order: Organized Crime” that premiered in 2021. The MetroCards come on the tail end of the unofficial Rockefeller Plaza renaming in March. The area was turned into “Olivia Benson Plaza.” “Law & Order: SVU” is currently airing Season 25 at 9 p.m. on NBC.