‘Law & Order: SVU’: Raúl Esparza Loves That Fans Were ‘Pissed Off’ Over Benson & Barba

If we have one wish for the rest of Law & Order: SVU Season 27, it’s simple: Get Raúl Esparza back on our screens! We miss Rafael Barba!

Esparza was last seen on the long-running NBC drama in the Season 23 finale, and he and Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) remained at odds after he defended Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott). He called her out on defending Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), while acknowledging he understood why she did it. The last words they said to each other onscreen at this point are his, “I do know what it means to love someone unconditionally. And when you’re ready to stop feeling betrayed by me, I’ll be here,” followed by her, “Rafa… I miss you, too.”

So, when TV Insider caught up with Esparza on the Law & Order Season 25 celebration red carpet, we, of course, had to ask about a possible return, what he wants to see with Benson and Barba going forward, and more.

When are we seeing you next on SVU?

Raúl Esparza: I don’t know. Barba’s always waiting in the wings. I’d be very happy to come and do stuff. He’s such a great character to visit, so at least they didn’t kill him off.

Noam Galai/NBC

The way that Barba and Benson left off, though, it’s painful. Where is his head and heart when it comes to her?

I think he adores her, and I think that he was completely right in that last episode. She has her grudges, and she has her sense of what’s right and wrong, and so does he. And I think that they make a spectacular team. It’s one of the best things that happened with that role is that the two of us, particularly as Barba and Benson, got to sort of revitalize the idea of what the show could be and how we took each other on. And it was … I mean, I hope that there will be more life somewhere in there because the fans are dying for it. But I honestly loved the way that ended. I really did. I thought, “Everyone’s going to be so pissed off. This is great.”

But they’re supposed to be squabbling with each other…

I know. That’s the idea. We’re supposed to be in some screwball comedy together.

What would you want to see with them going forward?

Finding a way to work together again, I think. Lord knows what their friendship would reveal. Benson is not a character who has an easy time being happy. And I don’t think Barba does either. [Laughs]

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Barba and Carisi (Peter Scanavino), another great dynamic…

Yeah, that was really fun, too, because the Carisi story was all about Barba just making fun of him every three seconds, and then sort of watching Carisi step up into his own strength was very cool. And also bringing Barba back to sort of challenge him was a lot of fun.

Law & Order: SVU, Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC