Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler Are in Close Quarters on Set of 'Law & Order: SVU'
Law & Order franchise stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni are back at work, and fans can expect to see the two appearing on each other's shows throughout the season. Hargitay shared an incredible photo from the set on July 25, showing the two stars staring at each other in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit squad room. SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime will be back for another season this fall, alongside the mothership revival's second season.
"Aaannnnd we're back," Hargitay captioned the photo. She included a set of hilarious hashtags, including "Bensler" and "MarshMelon." Hargitay is seen sitting behind Capt. Olivia Benson's desk, with Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler learning close to her. Meloni didn't share the photo on his own Instagram page, but he did post a video of his OC co-star Danielle Mone Truitt having her makeup done.
Hargitay shared another cool photo from the SVU set on July 26. This picture showed herself and co-stars Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, Octavio Pisano, Aqeel Taahir Ash-Shakoor, Maurice Compte, and Terry Serpico sitting in a subway car. "Next stop season 24!" Hargitay wrote.
The new Law & Order seasons begin on Thursday, Sept. 22 on NBC, with the Law & Order Season 22 premiere kicking things off at 8 p.m. ET. SVU Season 24 and OC Season 3 will follow. In early July, an insider told TVLine that NBC and producers were hoping to start the new season with the first-ever L&O three-way crossover. Law & Order creator Dick Wolf has already overseen three-way crossovers with his Chicago and FBI shows, so it can be done.
Meanwhile, there have been behind-the-scenes shakeups at SVU and OC. Co-executive producer Bryan Goluboff was promoted to OC showrunner, replacing interim showrunner Barry O'Brien. Gobuloff will be the third showrunner in the series' short history, following co-creator Matt Olmstead, who left before production began, and Ilene Chaiken. O'Brien is staying on as a writer and executive producer. SVU showrunner Warren Leight also left his show and was replaced by David Graziano (Coyote).
Law & Order fans will also spot new faces in the casts. Rick Gonzalez (Arrow) and Bent Antonello (Pam & Tommy) will play new detectives in the Organized Crime Control Bureau on OC. Claire Coffee (Grimm) was also cast as a lawyer in Law & Order Season 22, reports TVLine.
The original Law & Order returned for an abbreviated Season 21 in February, bringing the show back on the air after a 10-year absence. Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson were the stars who returned, although Anderson left. A new detective played by Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl) will be introduced in Season 22. Waterston, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy, and Odelya Halevi are returning for the new season.