âLaw & Orderâ star Christopher Meloni to return as Elliot Stabler for new spinoff
Elliot Stabler is back on the case.
Christopher Meloni will reprise his beloved âLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitâ character for a new series coming to NBC, The Times has confirmed. And the 13-episode order will be executive produced by none other than âLaw & Orderâ super-producer Dick Wolf.
According to Deadline, the spinoff will center on Stabler as he leads the NYPDâs organized-crime unit. Itâs the first program Wolf is developing as part of a whopping five-year deal he signed with Universal Television last month.
Itâs been nearly 10 years since the âLaw & Orderâ universe featured Meloni, who left at the end of âSVUâsâ 12th season after more than a decade starring alongside Mariska Hargitayâs Olivia Benson. The following season explained that Stabler had retired from the police force.
On a Manhattan sound stage masquerading as a Rikers Island interrogation room, Mariska Hargitay acted out a tense scene as Lt.
Since then, Meloni has acted in several other small-screen projects, such as âThe Handmaidâs Tale,â âPose,â âTrue Bloodâ and âVeep,â as well as the movies â42,â âMan of Steelâ and âSnatched.â
The original âLaw & Order: SVU,â fronted by Hargitay, is in its 21st season, with a new episode set to air Thursday. The likelihood of a crossover between the new Meloni drama and âSVUâ is unclear, though the possibility is there, as both series take place in New York City and could potentially stage a dream-team reunion between Benson and Stabler.
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