10 Guest Stars Who Should Return to 'Law & Order: SVU'

For the past 13 seasons, Law & Order: SVU has had it's share of memorable guest stars; wether the writing of said episodes was poor/aggravating or awesome and made you want to see more. But over the 13 seasons SVU's been on the air: I think these 10 people should make a return to the show; in a recurring capacity.

• Jeremy Irons
• Role: Dr. Cap Jackson
• Episodes: "Mask" and "Totem"

Why wouldn't Jeremy Irons be first on my list, Irons came in to portray Dr. Captain Jackson in two episodes in "roller-coasting" season 12. In "Mask"; Jackson ran a clinic that supposedly helped "rehabilitate" rapists, he was actually suspected of raping his own daughter by Detectives Benson and Stabler (Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni). Jackson did not rape his daughter, but had a sexual relationship with her childhood friend years ago. Jackson's daughter died from the attack and he lost his clinic after the allegations, and Stabler going "undercover" breaching confidentiality. Jackson returned in the episode "Totem", replacing Dr. Huang (B.D. Wong, who left the series to join the cast of an NBC show titled Awake) in a case where a piano teacher (portrayed by Elizabeth Mitchell, who in my opinion should have been nominated for an Emmy) is suspected of raping and murdering her young pupil. "Totem" was one mother of an SVU twisty-tale and I believe this episode is one of the best of the 12 season, and of the series itself.

• Bruce Kirkpatrick
• Role: Richard White
• Episode: "Stalked"

Of all the people to portray a rapist/murderer/sadist on SVU, I think portrayal of Richard White is tops (even over, Johnny Messner who played Lowell Harris in "Undercover", a prison gaurd in a female prison who raped the inmates). White a local realtor, [who is already a rapist] raped the Assistant DA who [Olivia knew] prosecuted him. Benson goes out of her way to get White off the streets and locked-up, until she almost falls victim to White herself. There was only circumstantial evidence on White, it took a confession from White to have him prosecuted again... we never really saw a "confession" out of him. This guy kinda tormented Liv. Sometimes it's the minor characters that make a major splash.

• Isabel Gillies
• Role: Kathy Stabler
• Episodes: "Payback", "A Single Life", "Or Just Look Like One", "Hysteria", "Wanderlust", "Sophomore Jinx", "Uncivilized", "Chat Room", "Nocturne", "Wrong Is Right", "Countdown", "Popular", "Risk", "Home", "Blood", "Clock", "Cage", "Scheherazade", "Burned", "Dependent", "Annihilated", "Screwed", "Alternate", "Blinded", "Paternity", "Swing", "Wildlife", "Turmoil", "Gray", "Pop", and "Delinquent"

Mrs. Stabler might not be a main character (nor loved among the fans that "ship" Elliot/Olivia) but she has played a major role on this show. Without Kathy, Stabler would probably be "the poster boy for rage" in every single episode (Liv can only do so much). And as much as I loathed the "Stabler family drama" between seasons 8-11, Kathy's kind of the "rock" of the Stabler household; although she's also seemingly overprotective. And she has sort of a close friendship with Olivia, which is something I'd like to see continue, even though Stabler is gone. And no: I don't think Liv and Elliot should have dated while he and Kathy were contemplating divorce, Benson's not a home wrecker.

• Charlie Tahan
• Role: Calvin Arliss (Benson)
• Episodes: "Trophy", "Penetration", "Rescue", and "Missing Pieces"

Calvin is the son of a negligent, non caring, and junkie-mother named Vivian Arliss (portrayed by Maria Bello). The math here is: Calvin is a kid in desperate need of a caring mother, and Olivia is in need of something in her life to give it balance, and someone she can care about. For the few episodes we have seen, Olivia would be a great mother to Calvin (had Vivian Arliss not tried to take Calvin back) and we see him now under the care of Vivian's parents, wonder where Viv is? I'm hoping that in SVU's future Calvin can fill the void in Olivia's life that Stabler left.

• Terrence Howard
• Role: Joe Dekker
• Episode: "Reparations"

For those of us who saw Law & Order: LA (which NBC prematurely canceled, their actions are why this show came up for cancellation) Joe Dekker is a tough-as-nails, yet compassionate, Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles, with a high conviction rate. But he's got family and a law license in New York City. Dekker comes in to defend his cousin Dwight Talcott (Vondie Curtis-Hall) who is accused of rape; but there is more to that story than meets the eye! The grandfather (Robert Hogan) of the girl (Virginia Kull) who accused Dwight of rape, beat and raped Dekker's aunt Lorna (Irma P. Hall) in the 1960s. To me, this tops all the episodes Howard has been in on LOLA. I wish he would make a return to the SVU courtroom, but up against A.D.A. Cabot (Stephanie March) or B.C. Cutter (Linus Roache) next time! But seeing him up against a returning from an almost 3-year-suspension Ms. Novak (Diane Neal) was kind of comedic at times.

• Carol Kane
• Role: Gwen Munch
• Episode: "Zebras"

Everyone knows the Gwen-Munch-Lennie Briscoe love triangle from early episodes of Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Streets. Munch's ex returned in the 10th season finale to help catch a serial killer (portrayed by Nick Stahl, but Noel Fisher's Dale Stucky did the other killing). She wishes to get back on medication and have a relationship with Munch (Richard Belzer) again. We always see Munch and his conspiracy theories so lonely, Liv's even said once "Munch just gave up on romance". Wonder if they could reconcile their differences.

• John Cullum
• Role: Judge Barry Moredock
• Episodes: "Manic", "Raw", "Blinded", "Babes", "Smut", "Lead", "Hammered", and "Possessed"

From being Alex Cabot's teacher in law school, to defending constitutional rights against Cabot and later Novak, to presiding over the criminal cases. Moredock has done it all! Moredock is a no-nonsense judge, although he was a slick defense attorney, he even sentenced Soyna Paxton (Christine Lahti) to court ordered alcohol rehabilitation after she showed up to court drunk. Judge Moredock is just one out of the many SVU judges you just love to see, even though he was funnier when he was on the defense team.

• Delroy Lindo
• Role: Detective Victor Moran
• Episode: "Baggage"

Detective Moran is very abrasive when the episode starts, you assume he's just another glory hog cop who's working a 3 decades old rape case. Moran was just a cop about to lose everything important to him, not the job or the perp Mark Ocurro (Nelson Vasquez), but his family. His daughter was in terminal condition and she died at the end of the episode. Moran's fuel to solve that case was his daughter's life being in the balance, not the overbearing new Chief of Detectives (John Ashton), who wanted Cragen's (Dann Florek) badge. One of the better episodes in season 10.

• Vincnet Spano
• Role: FBI Agent Dean Porter
• Episodes: "Savant", "Screwed", "Florida", "Infiltrated", and "Spooked"

Dean Porter, a good friend to Olivia. He helped her out with the "Simon Marsden" (Michael Weston) situation and helped her when she was undercover with "the eco-freaks". But, there's something more personal between Benson and Porter. Porter might have been Olivia's best love interest (who's not Stabler). Porter and Olivia have some bad blood left on the ground when Porter lied to Olivia about rape case that wasn't a rape case, but an FBI slaughtering. The Olivia/Dean relationship hasn't exactly ended (I don't think, ask Warren Leight: Twitter, @warrenleightTV), there is just no heavy set rape case to involve the FBI.

• Marcia Gay Harden
• Role: FBI Agent Dana Lewis
• Episodes: "Raw", "Informed", and "Penetration"

Agent Lewis. One the job: Spunky. Smart. Sexy. Hot. Hurting Stabler. Off the job: Family woman. She comes to SVU already undercover as Star Morrison, the girlfriend of a white supremacist (J.C. MacKenzie), who is sent to prison for setting up a hit on three innocent and diverse children. Being Morrison gets her into trouble in the long run when Ackerman (MacKenzie) reaches out from prison to have Lewis raped for killing her son Kyle, not knowing she was an FBI Agent. Aside from the fact Lewis is 3 for 3 on injuring Stabler, "Penetration" is likely Marcia Gay Harden's best SVU episode and I hope to see more of her in the future of SVU.

There are plenty more guest stars who I'd love to see come back to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but for now, those are my top 10!

Season 13 is probably SVU's best season since the 7th season and I must say to Elliot Stabler/Chris Meloni fans: to stop watching SVU because he is gone is "a bitch move". SVU was never the "Chris Meloni Show" even if the writing suggested it. When a show has the title "Law & Order" in it, expect a cast change. Get over it, move on, and keep watching the show.

Law & Order: SVU airs Wednesdays 10/9c on NBC!