As NBC celebrates the 25th anniversary of its primetime staple “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” the network will turn its home base in New York into a tribute to the Dick Wolf series and its lead character. For two days next month, NBC will transform Rockefeller Plaza into “Olivia Benson Plaza,” in honor of the character played by Mariska Hargitay for the last quarter century.
The activation, set to be held March 14 and March 15 outside NBC’s 30 Rock headquarters, will be free and open to the public. Among the attractions, fans will receive free coffee and tea from a “Benson & Co.” coffee truck — a.k.a. La Colombe, which will pour java into “Law & Order: SVU” cups, or design latte art related to the show. A fan shop will feature “SVU” friendship bracelets (designed with the Little Words Project), and 25% of purchases will benefit Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation.
Wolf Entertainment and Shop at NBC Studios also has a limited edition “SVU” anniversary T-shirt, as well as an anniversary newspaper on display at the Olivia Benson Plaza. The activation will include “Law & Order: SVU” trivia, giveaways and photo opps.
“‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ and New York have always been intrinsically linked, and what better way to bring the show to life than to incorporate it into the city itself,” said NBCU entertainment’s Margaret Walker, senior VP of NBC brand strategy and audience growth, in a statement. “Olivia Benson is an iconic character whose connection to our viewers has only grown over the past 25 years, and naming this experience after her is a small way to pay tribute to that legacy and the strength of the fandom.”
Olivia Benson Plaza will be located in the north plaza at 30 Rock. NBC created the space with NVE Experience Agency. “SVU” remains the longest-running scripted drama ever in U.S. primetime; Universal TV is the studio, along with Wolf Entertainment.