Law & Order: SVU fans, it’s time to rejoice – your favourite duo, Benson and Stabler, are coming back into action together.
On Tuesday, Mariska Hargitay took to her Instagram to confirm the rumours that have been circulating for some time now: her longtime crime-fighting partner, Christopher Meloni, will be joining her on Special Victim Unit in some capacity.
Hargitay fuelled the Rumors with her first post, captioning “who dat?” alongside a selfie with a bald figure in the background. Fans immediately recognized who it was, flooding the comments with reactions like:
“Congratulations on breaking the internet on a random Tuesday in September you know what you’re doing queen”
“It’s my favorite bald man”
A few hours later, Hargitay shared selfie with Meloni – this time facing the camera – captioning “Happy 600”
Law & Order: SVU’s 600th Episode Airs This November
Fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the iconic duo will have to wait a bit longer. Season 28, which premiered on October 8th, is set to reach its 600th episode on November 12th, if there are no breaks in between the schedule.
For those keeping up with the show’s other developments, NBA star Jalen Brunsontoo is also set to guest star on the episode airing November 5th.
GettyInterestingly, details are thin on how long Meloni will stay or in what capacity, but if showrunner Michele Fazekas is to be believed, this may not be a one-off. “If I can get him, I definitely will,” she said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
The Real Reason Christopher Meloni Left the Show
While fans may recall detective Elliot’s on-screen departure due to sudden retirement following a tragic shooting at the precinct, behind the scenes story of him leaving the show was altogether different.
Christopher Meloni left the show in May 2011 ahead of Season 13, after his contract and salary negotiations failed.
GettyIn a 2020, during a conversation with New York Post, he explained his decision to move on. He said, “I left with zero animosity but I did leave clearly and open-eyed in going forward and finding new adventures. I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do, keep moving forward. I had done the Law & Order way of storytelling, which they do really well, and I was interested in telling stories from a different angle — whether comedic or inhabiting a new world or doing it on different platforms.”
With 272 episodes under his belt as a lead character, of course, his departure understandably stung many fans. Much like his original exit, fans felt a similar loss when Christopher’s headlining spinoff, Law & Order: Organized Crime, was recently canceled after five seasons.
Still, Meloni has returned to the franchise several times over the years. First came his spinoff series, followed by guest appearance on the original show in season 22 and season 27, along with several crossover episodes.
Beyond SVU, fans can catch Meloni’s next project on Hulu titled 17 Sundays, created by This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman.
