The big tease was on today for Law & Order: SVU, as star Mariska Hargitay and former costar Chris Meloni provided more selfie evidence about his highly anticipated return to the series.
Meloni struck first on Instagram, posting a black and white shot of him Hargitay with the caption, “We are a little bit closer.” That was followed a few hours later by Hargitay, who posted a color shot on Instagram proclaiming, “Now even closer,” with the hashtag “#EO.”
Meloni is expected to return for a guest shot in his former role as Eliot Stabler. It’s a prelude to the debut of his own franchise vehicle, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and marks his first guest shot in the Law & Order universe since leaving the show nearly a decade ago. In the show’s world, he retired. In real life, contractual matters intervened. Apparently, all is forgiven.
Meloni and Hargitay were original cast members for SVU, which began airing in 1999. Meloni left the series in 2011. Hargitay and Meloni was partners in the show, but never romantic interests.
Fans were also teased last year about the return when Meloni showed up in virtual table read helmed by Hargitay and showrunner Warren Leight.