Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay welcomes Chris Meloni back to franchise

There is a new episode of Law & Order: SVU on NBC tonight, but beyond that there’s some good news surfacing in another form, as well. Former star Christopher Meloni is returning as Elliot Stabler to the franchise — it’s not SVU, but a separate series focusing on a unit he is leading battling organized crime. For the time being, the project has a 13-episode order at the network, and it comes following a mega-deal that executive producer Dick Wolf signed with NBCUniversal.

Let’s also talk about this: What Mariska Hargitay has to say about her longtime friend and former co-star coming back. In a post on Instagram today, she both wished him a happy birthday and also welcomed him “home.” Meloni was obviously a huge part of SVU for many years, and we do hope that this return means an on-screen reunion for Benson and Stabler.

Could it happen? It’s clearly not going to be this season, as filming for all shows are pretty much shut down due to the current health crisis. Yet, it would be a fun thing to orchestrate in the 2020-2021 TV season. In a perfect world, the ideal situation here would be that SVU would serve as a set-up for the new show, and that we could see a case that brings Benson and Stabler together before we meet his team and the new show. Doesn’t this feel like the perfect event to kick off either the fall season or February sweeps?

All of this for now is just interesting information to chew on, but know that Meloni is being welcomed back to the Law & Order world with open arms. We’re at a time right now where there is definitely a hunger for some TV nostalgia, so this should fit the bill and then some.

Related News – Be sure to get some more information when it comes to the upcoming SVU

Are you planning to watch the latest Law & Order with Chris Meloni?

Be sure to share right now in the comments, and remember to stick around for some other news. (Photo: NBC.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter.