{
  "id": 11781729,
  "title": "Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay Had An Intense Role On Another Groundbreaking Cop Drama",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/law-order-svus-mariska-hargitay-had-an-intense-role-on-another",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T22:12:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TVLine",
    "slug": "tvline",
    "url": "https://www.tvline.com/2271965/law-and-order-svu-mariska-hargitay-cop-drama-in-the-heat-of-the-night/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Before taking on the role of Detective Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, actress Mariska Hargitay starred in another significant television drama. She played a character named Audine Higgs in the Heat of the Night, a groundbreaking police series. Audine was a convict who, along with her boyfriend Lester Sproles, committed robbery and murder, putting Chief Bill Gillespie and Detective Virgil Tibbs on the case. The investigation became personal for Virgil when the couple abducted his wife, Althea. Audine eventually escaped but helped rescue Althea. Hargitay's portrayal of Audine diverged from her more law-abiding Detective Benson character, showcasing her versatility as an actress.",
  "summary": "Mariska Hargitay is best-known for playing Olivia Benson, but long before her SVU days, she found herself on the other side of the law in this crime drama.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}