According to Entertainment Tonight, Taylor Swift could eventually be heading to the long-running Law & Order: SVU, which is about to head into its 17th season. Swift is a devoted fan of the show’s leading lady, Manhattan police sergeant Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay. Swift even named her clumsy cat after the character, and Hargitay was among the many famous friends Swift invited to her “Bad Blood” music video, which won Video Of The Year at this year’s Video Music Awards. Entertainment Tonight asked Hargitay what the chances are of bringing Swift into the SVU squad. “We just talked about it,” Hargitay said. “We’re going to wait until the end of the [1989 World] tour to see how it goes. But it’s in the air.”
The 1989 tour will run until mid-December, so if Swift is ever going to appear on SVU, it won’t be for a while (but remember: this show will probably run forever). Executive producer Warren Leight suggested another option for a Swift shoutout that doesn’t require her to actually be there: “We’re thinking of naming a squad-room cat Taylor,” he said.
“The squad room needs to get a cat or I need to get a cat and name it Taylor,” Hargitay added. “Either one.” Swift appearing on the show in cat form definitely seems fitting. Maybe Taylor the cat could be played by Olivia Benson the cat, and the world will come full circle.
Upcoming non-Swift guest stars on SVU include Virginia Madsen, Orange Is The New Black’s Adrienne Moore, and The Good Wife’s Dallas Roberts, who will appear in the show’s Robert Durst-inspired case. Elizabeth Marvel is also set to return as Counselor Rita Calhoun. Cast members of the Broadway musical Hamilton will also appear on SVU this season, including Daveed Diggs, who is set to reunite with his Hamilton co-star Leslie Odom Jr., who plays recurring character Reverend Curtis Scott on SVU. “It was like SVU: The Musical,” Hargitay said about filming with the two Hamilton stars.
But what about SVU: Please Welcome To The Stage? We’ll have to wait until Swift’s a little less busy bringing people out to her 1989 stage to see if she’ll ever head to SVU in a real way. Maybe it’ll happen in season 25. It’s worth noting that Swift also has a cat named Meredith Grey, and Ellen Pompeo also starred in the “Bad Blood” video. Maybe Swift should also be in talks to appear on Grey’s Anatomy, which is heading into its 12th season this fall. Or maybe Meredith should get a cat named Taylor. Anything can happen in Shonda Rhimes’ world.
The 17th season of Law & Order: SVU premieres on Wednesday, September 23 at 9 p.m. Eastern.