Law & Order: SVU Can’t Figure Out What to Do With This Character (And Neither Can Fans)

Even in shows that have been around for years, there are always opportunities to develop the characters. For Law & Order: Special Victims Unit lead Olivia Benson, the natural point of growth was becoming a mother to an adopted boy named Noah. As the years go by, however, the entire Noah storyline seems to go too dull and repetitive.

In a show full of murderers and rapists, a pre-teen managed to become one of the most hated characters thanks to poor writing decisions. And now that the show has been renewed for season 26, fans are wondering what the SVU writers could do to save poor Noah.

How Old Is Noah Benson?

Some fans believe that the hatred of Noah comes from the way the writers cannot agree on his age. When he was supposed to be around 8 or 9, the boy was portrayed by an actor who was too old to look convincing. However, the writing was geared toward the right age group, which made it look like he was an older boy with the comprehension skills of a young child.

Now that Noah is a pre-teen, about 12 or 13 years old, his character still hasn't developed much. Many fans hate every scene he's in because they feel it's forced and unnecessary, and some even wish he'd stayed in his toddler form forever because it was the last time they could really connect with his character.

It is obvious that Noah is a key element in Olivia Benson's life at this point, and he cannot be completely written off. On the other hand, the writers' struggle to come up with a storyline that doesn't repeat something from the past is just as obvious.

“For me, the trouble with Noah is that the show doesn't use him in ways that make sense. It made sense to have the Stabler kids featured in several episodes because they were older and their involvement connected directly to the SVU cases. But aside from the numerous Noah-gets-kidnapped plotlines, <...> Noah's scenes feel like total nonsequiturs,” Redditor WelcomeToBrooklandia said.

Although Benson does not strike us as a mother who would deliberately send her child away, perhaps the boarding school would be the best solution for both the in-universe characters, the writers, and the viewers who cannot stand the scenes with Noah.

And if SVU is still going strong in 3 years, maybe the teenage Noah will come back and bring some more juicy, age-appropriate drama.

If you want to see how Law & Order: Special Victims Unit navigates the Noah issue in an upcoming season 26, be sure to keep an eye out for more news and behind-the-scenes updates to not miss a premiere date announcement.