A new behind the scenes picture from Law & Order: SVU reunites Stabler, Benson, and Fin in joyous fashion. The long-running crime drama is still going strong in its 22nd season, which began last fall after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Like past seasons, Law & Order: SVU has strived to tackle real world topics in its new episodes, such as the pandemic and last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests. However, the buzziest part of Law & Order: SVU season 22 is actually a major return. For the first time since season 12, Christopher Meloni’s Elliot Stabler will return to the series before heading off for his own spin-off, Law & Order: Organized Crime.
For those first 12 seasons, Stabler and Olivia Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) bond was the heart of Law & Order: SVU, and both fans and Benson were devastated when he departed abruptly. In real life, a pay dispute was the cause of Meloni’s exit. His highly-anticipated return has been in the works since last spring, but the pandemic has pushed it back considerably. Thankfully, though, fans won’t have to wait much longer, as Stabler’s next Law & Order: SVU episode will arrive on April 1.
A couple days ago, Meloni revealed a new behind the scenes peek at his latest Law & Order: SVU appearance on social media. He was working with both Hargitay and Ice-T (Fin Tutuola), who recently won a Grammy. Meloni celebrated the win in the caption and revealed that they are, in fact, on the set of SVU, which holds its own interesting implications. You can see Meloni’s full post down below.
Meloni filmed his first Law & Order: SVU episode earlier this year, so the fact that he’s on set once again confirms he will appear in more than one episode. SVU and Organized Crime will feature some crossovers, so it’s already been hinted that Stabler’s return to the Special Victims Unit won’t be short-lived. Nevertheless, it’s exciting to get more confirmation that he will stick around. Audiences have waited a long time to see him back with his old co-workers, and it sounds it like it will be worth it.
The most anticipated reunion is surely the one between Stabler and Benson, but there’s no question that simply seeing him with the rest of the team will be thrilling. One of the recent Law & Order: SVU promos teased a conversation he has with Fin, proving that while his time with Benson is a huge selling point, he’ll get good moments with other characters too. It’s been a long time coming, but the wait is nearly over for Stabler’s big return.
Law & Order: SVU returns to NBC on Thursday, April.
