I get that Barisi fans are hugely disappointed with this season, but I feel like it's presumptive of some Barisi fans to talk as if because *their* ship may not be as popular/getting new canon as previously, that the entire SVU fandom is "dying". That isn't so. There are still plenty of people actively creating content for and talking about other ships and characters, including ones who-*gasp*!-haven't even been on screen in an episode for 3-5 seasons or more! Barisi doesn't = all of SVU fandom.

Anon, I honestly wish I were only disappointed in this season for Barisi-related reasons. That would mean I’d still be able to find some excitement in the show, while being a little bummed out because my ship wasn’t getting any action. That’s a pretty standard fandom experience for shippers of non-canon or obscure pairings. Like, I still loved The X-Files, even after they killed off Krycek and, with him, my Krycek/Skinner fantasies. I still enjoyed Lost even after Jack and Juliet were toast. I still loved Person of Interest even after my two main ships (Carter/Reese and Shaw/Root) were literally killed. I wish that were the case with SVU.

I’ve made several posts about my issues with this season. I guess the main one would be this post, but you could also read any one of my episode analyses, none of which even mention Barisi. To reiterate some of my main issues, I find the messed up scheduling to be an added source of incoherence, because no character is allowed to have any type of growth, not when we’re watching episode 14 before we get to see episode 7. The supporting characters have all been reduced to cardboard cutouts.

And, the worst part is, even Benson, who is the protagonist, has regressed in terms of her personal story. We no longer see anything about her life. She’s front-and-center when it comes to working with cases or helping victims, but who is she? What does she do when she’s not working? We used to see her with boyfriends, with Barba, with Noah, with Lucy (though I think that actress is currently unavailable). When the main character has no personal growth, how can the rest of the characters expect any?

Admittedly, Sonny is my favorite character, so my main gripe with this season (and the main reason I loved Season 17 more than Season 16) is the fact his screentime has decreased and his character development has stalled. Completely. Barba fans could say the same, I’m sure. And they have. We used to get all those little hints about him, the drinking, the pills, the clenched fists, and this season there’s been nothing. And then, Fin fans have been experiencing this for decades, lol. And Amanda, who used to have a tumultuous but very rich backstory, because she thrived in the more melodramatic SVU seasons (14/15), much like Nick, well, she barely has anything to do, either.

But, characters aside, I also find the cases extremely troubling. I disagree with the “message” the writers are trying to send, almost every week. In previous seasons, my disagreements were far more rare. The mommy issues are especially glaring, and the “imperfect victim”/“flawed but relatable perpetrator” theme is getting old. So I can’t even enjoy SVU as a procedural anymore.

Now, when it comes to the SVU fandom dying out, my recent posts refer to tumblr, and the fandom as I experience it. I’m not active on twitter or other platforms (not when it comes to fandom stuff), so my only real exposure to the SVU fandom is tumblr itself. And, of course, I mostly engage with Barisi, Sonny and Barba fans, because that’s where my interests lie, lol. So I’m talking about my own experience, and the relative lack of interest that I’ve seen, at least compared to last season. I assume the people who send me asks about it are also Barisi/Sonny/Barba fans, and that’s why they come to me. To talk about the characters and/or the ship we all love.

I’ve never engaged much online with old school SVU fans (even though I’m actually one of them, and I’ve been watching the show from the very beginning), but I certainly understand they still exist (why wouldn’t they?). First of all, Benson is the constant, so the people who love her still get to enjoy their fave. But I’m sure that fans of older characters are still active when it comes to fic and edits, too. It’s true that people still create content for characters or ships like Benson/Stabler (of course) or Benson/Cabot (my second fave Olivia ship, after Benson/Amaro COME AT ME) or Fin/Munch, or Barba/Huang, or Casey/Chester Lake (pls send me links I love them). For characters they haven’t seen in years, as you said. Some of these fans have probably stopped watching the show altogether and i envy them.

Hell, Barisi itself is a very tiny part of the SVU fandom, and it’s still alive due to fan interest alone, because many of us still create salty content, even though the show is giving us nothing. The SVU fandom overall is also still very much alive, and it will probably never die.

That still doesn’t help me, though :D

I spoke of new fans in my previous posts, but a similar thought applies to old fans, as well. For a fan who has given up on the current content of the show and writes or reads fic for, like, Benson/Cabot (send links for that too, btw!) I can imagine why Season 18 would feel no different than Season 16. Because these fans may have lost their favorite character years ago, and they no longer care much about the ones who are still there. For me, a Sonny fan, well, I’m losing my fave while he’s still there. Same way Fin fans lost him, like, 8 years ago. And, to make matters worse, the show itself is no longer fun or even watchable, sometimes. That has caused a noticeable (at least on my dash) lack of interest.

Is this permanent? I hope not. For starters, this has all happened before. Season 18 is giving me Season 10 vibes. It feels like the start of a huge decline in quality, which will take a couple of years to be fixed. The thing is, the show just might have a couple of years still left in it, so maybe there’s still hope for improvement. A few new writers, a few new characters (which the show sorely needs!), and we’ll be good to go. Maybe :)

Lastly, in every post I mention the fact I’m sure there are plenty(? lol) of people who are still excited about the show. I’ll repeat it here. I do think the show itself is on its last legs, and the fandom has gotten less active overall, as is to be expected after 18 years, but of course people still care. So, those of you who still love SVU (or who no longer watch it but are still in love with Chester Lake or O'Halloran good taste btw!), keep doing you!