‘Law & Order’ Stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni Celebrate ‘Effortless’ Reunion

More than just fans are rejoicing following Thursday night’s emotional crossover event between Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime. After the two-hour event reunited Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson after 10 years, actors Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay took to social media to celebrate the occasion themselves.

In a post shared to Instagram, Meloni, whose Thursday’s appearance marked the first time he has stepped into Stabler’s shoes in more than a decade, marked the special occasion with a throwback photo of Stabler and Benson. Captioning the post, “Together again like it’s always been,” he was shown love by Hargitay, who commented, “Effortless.” The actress, who has remained an SVU staple, celebrated the reunion in a post of her own, taking to the social media platform with another throwback photo and writing, “So many stories, told step by step, side by side…. with so many stories still waiting to be told.” The official account for Law & Order responded to the post by writing, “Side by side again,” Hargitay also celebrated the reunion on Twitter, where she wrote, “Welcome Home. [Chris Meloni].”

Speaking of his decision to return to the series for the first time in nine years, Meloni told Entertainment Tonight in July “a certain piece just fell into place.” He added, “For me, there were just personal things that I was like, ‘You know, now is a good time.’ That was it. There was nothing secret. It just was effortlessly correct.” The last time fans had seen Meloni in character as Stabler had been all the way back in Season 12 before his abrupt exit from the series, reportedly over a contract dispute. Despite their time apart, Meloni said the series “gave birth to Mariska and Meloni, and Benson and Stabler. So we’re kind of inextricably linked and connected in that way,” adding that he and Hargitay are “very good friends.” He also teased what it was like reuniting with his co-star for filming.

“We just pick it up right where we left off and we’ve said it’s like we don’t have this relationship with anyone else… It’s unique, it’s full of laughter, she’s full of love,” he said. “We just kind of fall seamlessly into that place every time we see each other.”

During the crossover episode, Stabler’s wife, Kathy, died after the bomb went off in the car they rented. Her death inspired him to take a new job with the NYPD, keeping him in New York City. During the episode, Stabler and Benson reunited and were finally able to work through some unresolved personal issues. New episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime air Thursdays back-to-back starting at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Those who miss an episode can catch up on Hulu, which you can sign up for with a free trial.