It's perhaps the biggest investigation of all. Do detectives date?
While the track record for detectives dating other detectives (or captains) in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's 23-year history, is, well, not the greatest, the Internet has posed an interesting question: What about a detective and somebody who isn't a member of the NYPD's finest? Enter, SVU Detective Joe Velasco and Elliot Stabler's daughter, Kathleen.
It's easy to see why the ship, dubbed "Joleen" by fans on Twitter, has taken off in popularity online. Joe and Kathleen are two beloved characters, both in a similar age bracket, and based on their appearances in their respective Law & Order shows, both appear to be single.
So, in an investigation all our own, E! News went right to the source, asking actor Octavio Pisano what he thought of the Internet's latest pairing.
"I've asked a couple people, [but] I'm not really good on Twitter," he told E! News. "So when I do go on there, it's just to post something I have on my mind, but when I try to find what people are talking about, I get lost in the comments."
But, fear not. It seems word travels fast between showrunner Warren Leight, who recently announced his departure from the show, and the SVU cast over at the 16th precinct.
"But I have heard from Warren about that," Pisano added. "He's big on Twitter and he listens to the fans. I think Joe is definitely in a position to go on dates. I'm not sure about Stabler's daughter and what that would bring to the professional relationships, but I'm sure it's good TV!"
In the May 5 episode of Organized Crime, Velasco teamed up with Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and his team to search for a missing girl. As an SVU detective, Velasco also directly reports to Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), who has a complicated relationship with Det. Stabler.
Allison Siko, who portrays Stabler's daughter Kathleen, proved she's more in tune with what the Internet wants than Pisano, even tweeting, "NGL, this would be very fun to play" in response to one fan's imagined text exchange between Kathleen and Joe.
With Leight gone, it's unclear what season 24 may have in store, but we'd like to see this potential pairing actually happen.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)