Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay get steamy in a new photo for Law & Order. The duo starred as detective partners Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson when Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered in 1999. They were the main focus of the show and considered one of the most successful pairings in a procedural series for the first 12 seasons, with both actors receiving multiple award nominations (and wins for Hargitay). Meloni abruptly left the show after the season 12 finale due to failed contract negotiations.
Since Meloni’s departure, Hargitay’s Benson has worked her way up the ranks, becoming Captain of the unit. Meloni now stars in Law & Order: Organized Crime, which is the latest addition to the Dick Wolf Law & Order franchise, having just wrapped its first season. The spinoff features the return of Stabler to the NYPD after a decade-long absence. It revolves around him leading an organized crime unit tasked with bringing down powerful crime syndicates and also stars Dylan McDermott, Tamara Taylor, Danielle Moné Truitt, and Ainsley Seiger.
Meloni has now taken to his social media to post what is clearly a trolling photo of him and Hargitay getting close and almost locking lips. The post is in response to a fan tweet that suggested the actors could be rehearsing for a scene. The teasing photo of Meloni and Hargitay can be viewed below:
Fans who have been watching both series of Law & Order have been cautiously optimistic of the potential coupling between the pair and have been aware of the underlying feelings between them. One scene from the first season of Organized Crime had Stabler committing a slip of the tongue during a family intervention that Benson attended, declaring his love to a particular person. While the comment was ambiguous, many fans have speculated that it was directed towards Benson and hoped it could set up a particular storyline in the next season.
With the pilot episode of Organized Crime killing off Stabler’s wife Kathy, it serves as a potential catalyst for Stabler to rely on Benson more, especially since he spent the season battling PTSD due to his wife’s death. Law & Order: Organized Crime is currently filming its second season while Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is still the franchise’s most successful series. SVU is currently on a three-year renewal from NBC since last year, bringing the total number of seasons up to 24, so fans can look forward to many more Law & Order storylines with Stabler and Benson and hopefully see a blossoming romance between the two down the line.
