Mariska Hargitay is celebrating history in the making with the cast and creator of her hit show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, debuting its record-breaking 21st season on Thursday night.

The show passes the iconic Western series Gunsmoke and SVU creator Dick Wolf's flagship series Law & Order to become the longest-running prime-time live-action series in television history.

The 55 year old actress was joined by her longtime co-star Ice-T, who joined the cast in Season 2 back in 2000, series creator Dick Wolf and co-stars Kelli Giddish and Peter Scanavino.

History in the making: Mariska Hargitay is celebrating history in the making with the cast and creator of her hit show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, debuting its record-breaking 21st season on Thursday night