Christopher Meloni’s Elliot Stabler is coming back to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit universe in an all-new spin-off, and his old partner is happy to have him back.
After it was revealed this week that Meloni would be reprising his SVU character role for a new Dick Wolf series, his former costar Mariska Hargitay shared a sweet message on Instagram wishing the actor a happy birthday and a warm welcome to the character he played on the long-running NBC series.
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“Happy birthday [Chris Meloni],” she wrote. “Congratulations and welcome home Elliot Stabler” with hashtags #ItsBeenAWhile and #MissedYou.
According to reports made on Tuesday, March 31, the 13-episode Law & Order: SVU spin-off drama is reportedly to revolve around Stabler leading an NYPD organized crime unit, meaning there appears to be plenty of potential for a Stabler-Benson reunion, given the show’s setting. NBC hasn’t officially confirmed the news, but the actor gave a cryptic tease to a follower who asked about the new spin-off series on Twitter, writing, “Sleep tight.”
Meloni appeared on Law & Order: SVU from seasons 1 through season 12, leaving the series in 2011. The NBC series is currently in its 21st season – marking it the longest-running primetime TV drama ever – and was recently renewed for three more seasons earlier this year.
The Stabler spin-off show is still in the early stages of development with Wolf, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski serving as executive producers. Chicago P.D.‘s Matt Olmstead is being eyed to write and showrun the new spinoff series, according to Deadline‘s report.
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