IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Mariska Hargitay returns to work on 'Law & Order: SVU' — on crutches

Despite a string of off-screen injuries, Capt. Olivia Benson is reporting for duty.
/ Source: TODAY

You just can’t keep a good officer down!

Mariska Hargitay, better known as Capt. Olivia Benson to fans of “Law & Order: SVU,” showed up on the set of the beloved crime drama Thursday as filming for season 23 got underway.

Mariska Hargitay At The 'Law And Order: SVU' Set In NYC
Mariska Hargitay returns to the set on "Law and Order: SVU" on July 29, 2021.Jose Perez / SplashNews

A new photo shows Hargitay still wearing the same dress she wore in the season 22 finale, a navy and floral-print design Benson had on when she and her squad, along with her former partner, Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), attended the almost-wedding of Fin (Ice-T) and Phoebe (Jennifer Esposito).

Meaning, of course, that the storyline is likely to pick up right where it left off, or at least flash back to that fateful night.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Season 22
Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson in the season 22 final of "Law and Order: SVU."Virginia Sherwood / NBC

Only this time, in the new pic, Hargitay's sporting a couple of accessories that weren’t part of last season’s storyline — crutches under each arm and a boot brace on her right foot.

While viewers of the long-running series will have to wait and see if those things actually make it into the plot, fans of Hargitay already know the off-screen spoiler behind the bold look.

Earlier this month, Hargitay revealed that she broke her ankle — an injury that was just part of a recent run of bad luck for the 57-year-old star, as just six weeks earlier, she’d suffered a broken knee, a hairline fracture of her other ankle and a torn ligament.

But with friends and fans rooting for her, Hargitay is on the mend and back at work. And Benson is back in the driver’s seat, as a short clip on Instagram revealed.

“’SVU 23’ — it’s happening,” Hargitay whispers from behind the wheel in the dark scene. “Lights, camera, action.”

Just hours after the Emmy winner shared that video, Meloni took to his own account with a whisper-filled message in a post tagged to his pal.

“I hear you’re back at work,” the 60-year-old says quietly. “I hear it's very cinematic. Where are you?

Find out what the moody moments are all about when season 23 of “Law & Order: SVU” kicks off Sept. 23 on NBC.