Mariska Hargitay, the actress who plays Olivia Benson in Law & Order: SVU, is absent from six episodes in Season 8. The reason for her absence is because she was on maternity leave after giving birth to her first child. The show explains her absence by having her character go undercover and introducing a temporary replacement partner for Detective Elliot Stabler. Hargitay and Ice T (Fin) have become iconic characters in the series, with Hargitay now having completed 24 seasons and a 25th one on the way.