One thing the show used to do that the audience appreciated was the well-rounded lives of the SVU detectives, making the experiences of these characters realistic outside their work in sex crimes. Unfortunately, the last few seasons have taken a step away from focusing on the personal lives of the main characters, diminishing the appeal of the cast. For the upcoming season, fans are discussing what they hope to see, with many hoping to see more of the main characters when they’re not working. There are countless ways the show could emphasize the lives of these beloved characters, but there is one forgotten character in Olivia Benson’s past that needs to finally make another appearance.

Olivia Had a Complicated Relationship With Her Brother

One of the reasons Law & Order: SVU is one of the best procedural shows ever is due to the well-rounded backstories and lives of the main characters, who aren’t just seen as detectives but complicated, realistic people with their own agency. For Olivia Benson, the now captain and former detective, had personal reasons for joining the Special Victims Unit, revealing early on in the series that her mother was raped when she was in college, and that resulted in her pregnancy with Olivia. For the beloved character, this job was an opportunity to help victims of sexual assault in ways her mother wasn’t helped, and she takes advocating for victims as the most important aspect of her job.

In Season 8, when Olivia was still a detective, she ran her DNA through a kinship database and, to her shock, learned that she had a brother, Simon Marsden, who was the son of her biological father. When they first met, Simon was having issues with the law, mostly due to false allegations and officers assuming his guilt due to his past. However, Olivia felt a need to protect her brother, especially if he was innocent, and the two bonded despite the horrible reality of their father and differing traumatic backstories. They rarely stayed in touch throughout the years, and Olivia was often disappointed that Simon couldn’t seem to get his life together.

In Season 13, Episode 16, “Child’s Welfare,” Olivia reunites with Simon, learning he has a spouse, Tracy Harrison, who has a six-year-old son. Simon had a little girl with Tracy, whom they named Olivia, which was a shocking but touching surprise for her aunt. However, when Simon is caught possessing marijuana, their children are removed by CPS, and Tracy has to make a deal to leave Simon in return for getting her children back. Years later, Tracy and Simon had reunited and then separated, and Simon turned to drug use. He died from an overdose given to him by a group of murderous escorts, leaving Olivia to mourn her last living blood relative (sort of).

This Other Olivia Hasn’t Had a Significant Storyline

Though Olivia was distraught over the demise of her brother because she wanted her son, Noah, to have some family, her niece was largely overlooked. At one point, it was mentioned that Olivia would spread Simon’s ashes with his ex, Tracy, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented this encounter. After that, Simon’s family was not mentioned again. There have been a few major character mistakes in SVU throughout the years, but perhaps the biggest oversight of the storyline is ignoring Olivia’s actual last living blood relative, her niece Olivia.

Previously, Olivia tried to connect with Noah’s last living blood relative, the mother of his biological mother, Sheila Porter, who initially seemed to be a great-grandmother. However, she tried to kidnap Noah, believing he shouldn’t be with an adoptive parent but with his blood family. This was a traumatic moment for Olivia and Noah, both of whom had to mourn the loss of Sheila in their own way. After this scenario, Olivia seemed more content with it just being her and her son, convinced that they were a small but happy family.

Still, Olivia has continued to bring up throughout the years that she yearns to have a bigger family and support system for her son. These discussions never seem to result in Olivia Marsden/Harrison being brought up, despite her being the last living blood relative of Benson. Tracy and her son, Ty, whom Simon considered a son, are also never mentioned after Simon’s demise. This is a missed opportunity to add more side characters to this main character’s personal life, which has been a key subplot in the series for many years, especially after she chose to foster and then adopt Noah.

Her Niece Could Bring Excitement to the Subplot of the Series

There have been many heartbreaking deaths in SVU throughout its 26-year runtime, but one of the most impactful moments in Olivia’s plot is the loss of her brother. There was a lot of regret in this subplot, especially since she had turned her back on Simon and made the decision to never see him again shortly before she found out he had died. Unfortunately, it’s a compounded tragedy because not only did Olivia lose her sibling, but she also seemed to lose any interest in reconnecting with his family.

Olivia Marsden/Harrison was last shown when she was a small toddler, so she would be a young teenager now, perhaps between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. However, it’s unclear where Tracy ended up with the two children because Simon was last seen in New Jersey after she left him and took the kids, making it unclear if the family is still in the New York area or not. Regardless, it wouldn’t be unbelievable if the Harrison family came to visit or returned to the city, allowing Olivia to reconnect with them and Noah to get to know his uncle’s spouse and his cousins.

This could add some much-needed drama to Olivia’s personal life, exploring a scenario in which she has to overcome the discomfort of not having a family to reconnect with unfamiliar loved ones. In an alternative scenario, SVU could do what the show does best and bring Tracy, Ty, or young Olivia into one of the episodes in connection to one of the cases the unit works. This could potentially be an exceptional way to bring Olivia’s family back into the mix, especially since some of the best episodes include cases in which one or multiple of the main characters take a given case personally based on their connection or feelings towards the people involved.

It’s Time for SVU to Emphasize Family Once Again

There is a lot to look forward to in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27, especially regarding the mysterious relationship between Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, who is now the main character in Law & Order: Organized Crime. While many fans enjoy the complicated and often disappointing dynamic of Olivia’s romantic life, many viewers would also appreciate seeing more of her son, Noah, who has been in very few episodes throughout the last couple of seasons. An exceptional way the show could focus more time on her son and their dynamic would be to bring other people into their tiny family, such as Noah’s long-lost cousin Olivia, who isn’t significantly older than he is.

In previous years, SVU has had some memorable cases and episodes dedicated to the lives of the unit’s detectives. In later seasons, Amanda Rollins had significant drama in her life due to her sister Kim, who struggled with breaking the law, substance use, neglecting her children, and being abused by her spouses. Throughout the seasons, the show has focused on Tutuola’s family to varying degrees, particularly highlighting his complicated relationship with his son, Ken, whom he initially was estranged from due to his personal issues with Ken’s sexuality and relationships. These details have not only added drama to the subplots of SVU but also made the main characters more nuanced and relatable.

In the twenty-six seasons of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, there has been a focus on family values, dynamics, and tragedies, especially in the earlier seasons when Elliot Stabler struggled to balance his work and home life with his wife and five children. To the disappointment of many viewers, there has been a decrease in focus on the main characters’ lives, especially relating to Benson and her personal life with her son. There are many ways the show could emphasize this character’s life, but it would be fascinating to see her reconnect with her long-lost niece, who was named after her.