Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay Reacts to Christopher Meloni Reprising Elliot Stabler Role

Mariska Hargitay has welcomed her former co-star Christopher Meloni back into the Law & Order franchise.

The actress took to Instagram Thursday to wish Meloni a happy birthday, with the following post.

“Happy Birthday @chris_meloni Congratulations and welcome home Elliot Stabler #It’sBeenAWhile #MissedYou #ElliotStabler,” the actress wrote.

As previously reported, Meloni is reprising his Elliot Stabler role in a brand new series set in the Law & Order universe.

The series revolves around the NYPD organized crime unit led by Meloni's character.

SVU is also set in New York, meaning that there should be a wealth of crossovers on the horizon.

Given that Elliot and Olivia worked alongside each other for years, it would be silly not to have them meet up to solve crimes together.

NBC has handed a 13 episode order to the series, but no other casting details, or plot details have been revealed at this time.

Elliot and Olivia were best friends, and they had a connection that kept fans tuned in for years, so bringing them together should result in a lot of interest for both shows.

The straight to series order for the new show is not surprising, especially when you consider that Dick Wolf recently signed a new deal with NBC.

He is a super producer with a track record of creating viable franchises that live for years.

NBC previously gave his Chicago shows and SVU three more seasons each, meaning they will be on the air for the years to come.

It's unclear how NBC plans to roll out this new spinoff. It could be paired with SVU or it could be used as a midseason replacement to give SVU some time off the air.

Stabler previously retired from the force, but fans did not get much of a goodbye, with Olivia learning the news at the same time the fans did.

This was thanks to negotiations breaking down to bring Meloni back for the next season.

He followed the series up with roles on True Blood, Underground, The Handmaid's Tale, and Happy!

What are your thoughts on this news?

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Remember you can watch Law & Order: SVU online right here via TV Fanatic.

SVU airs Thursdays on NBC.