Mariska Hargitay’s dream of having Jalen Brunson guest star on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” has come true.
In August, the actor appeared on the TODAY show to feature a cameo from the New York Knicks captain. Now fans of the NBC series can watch the basketball player flex his acting muscles in the latest episode.
Brunson plays a character named Detective Madison in the episode titled “Forsaken” airing on November 5 at 9 p.m. on NBC. It will also be released on Peacock the next day.
The Knicks player appears in one scene and helps Olivia Benson (Hargitay) with an investigation. When the two meet at a coffee shop, Benson greets her colleague: “Detective Madison, look at you out of uniform, huh? Congratulations on the promotion.”
Brunson’s response appears to include a flippant reference to his team’s last title run.
“Thank you, captain. I focused on my goals, gave 110%. Things went well,” he says.
“Yes, they did,” Benson replies.
The two briefly discuss an assault investigation and then drive off while Benson makes a phone call.
“Thank you Jay, you are the best,” she says as she pats his back.
Hargitay, an avid Knicks fan, visited Studio 1A over the summer and hinted at a possible collaboration with Brunson.
“And I hope we don’t tell anyone, but we may see (Brunson on ‘SVU’),” he told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie.
The following month, the official “Law and Order” Instagram page posted a video of Brunson saying he wanted to “try to get on ‘SVU.’” In the next slide, they shared a photo of the athlete with the cast of the show.
“When plans finally come out of the group chat 🤌 Jalen Brunson is officially heading to #SVU!” the title read.
While promoting the upcoming season premiere of “Law and Order,” the show’s Instagram page posted a photo of Hargitay and Brunson on set with the caption: “Two iconic New York Captains walking onto the set… 📸
While appearing on the TODAY show with Jenna & Sheinelle in June, Hargitay mentioned her admiration for Brunson several times, referring to him as a “friend” and calling him “my inspiration.”
“She’s so unique and amazing. She’s an amazing person,” he said.