Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni inLaw & Order: SVU.Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/NBCU
Benson and Stabler have reunited!
Christopher Melonishared a photo withMariska Hargitayfrom theLaw & Order: SVUset Friday, teasing his return to the long-running crime show. Meloni played Elliot Stabler from seasons 1 through 12 ofSVU, while Hargitay has starred as Olivia Benson for all 22 seasons.
“We are a little bit closer,” Meloni, 59,captioneda black-and-white selfie of the pair on set.
Hargitay went on to shareanother photo, captioning it, “Now even closer…”
For more on Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni, listen below to the episode of PEOPLE Every Day!
The actor will make an appearanceduring the current 22nd seasonofSVU, before starring on the spinoff,Law & Order: Organized Crime, which is slated to begin airing sometime in spring 2021.
He was an original cast member whenSVUpremiered in September 1999, and his chemistry with costar Hargitay helped turn the show into an instant hit.
After he left in 2011 when contract negotiations broke down, his character was written offSVUin the season 12 finale as Stabler retired from the police force.
News ofMeloni’s return to the beloved franchisebroke in March. The upcoming spinoff series, which has received a 13-episode order, will follow Stabler as he returns to the NYPD to battle organized crime after suffering a “devastating personal loss” of his own,NBC announcedin June.
RELATED VIDEO: Chris Meloni Says Reuniting With ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Costar Mariska Hargitay Is ‘Effortless’
During a July appearance on SiriusXM’sThe Jess Cagle Show, Melonigave an update on the project,as it was in flux amid thecoronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“We’re in the middle of a pandemic production. You know, everything is just insane,” he said. “You get new edicts out of New York City and New York state, and for good reason. And then you get new rules and regulations coming out of Universal, and then from the unions. You have to service a lot of masters right now, just to make sure everybody is safe, right? What’s the new norm for shooting?”
“So that is the long way of saying the writers are breaking rocks, trying to figure out the arc of the story, who the characters are and how they interact, and I have yet to see a script,” he said, jokingly adding, “I’m working on my tan, okay?”
Meloni had alsoconfirmed that Hargitaywill appear on his spinoff, which wasdelayedin October when the previously announced showrunner Matt Olmstead exited the series.
source: people.com
