Christoper Meloni is returning for a Law & Order: SVU spin-off as Elliot Stabler, and we couldn't be more excited. The actor is reprising his role as the detective by leading the new Dick Wolf series.
In the video below, Meloni discusses whether or not he regrets leaving Law & Order in the first place:The news was first broken on Tuesday by trade reports including this one from the Hollywood Reporter. It was subsequently confirmed by Meloni himself on his Facebook page.
Sharing an article from Deadline, he simply wrote: "He's back...."
The new series is currently untitled, per the Hollywood Reporter, however, the news outlet did confirm that it's already been picked up by NBC for a 13-episode series.
Set in New York, the new series will center around an NYPD organized crime unit that Stabler leads. Needless to say, its setting gives the show the opportunity for a crossover with SVU and Meloni reuniting onscreen with his former costar Mariska Hargitay AKA detective Olivia Benson.
In addition to Wolf, the new series will be produced by Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski. It is believed that Matt Olmstead, the former Chicago PD showrunner, will be its head writer and showrunner.
The spin-off means that Meloni will finally be back in the Law & Order fold for the first time since leaving after season 12. However, he has been incredibly busy since then, starring in a number of series including Syfy's Happy and Fox's Surviving Jack.
Wolf's new series will also add to his and his company's already impressive repertoire. As it stands, he currently has six scripted shows on-air - NBC's Law & Order: SVU, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med; and CBS' FBI and its spin-off FBI: Most Wanted. SVU.
However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has suspended production across the film and TV industry, it's not known when the new Meloni-led spin-off will air.