‘Law & Order: SVU’ Reuniting Benson & Stabler: Christopher Meloni to Appear in Episode 600

Law & Order: SVU is going big for its upcoming milestone 600th episode (as to be expected), part of the show’s 28th season, which premieres on Thursday, October 8, on NBC.

Christopher Meloni will be reprising his role as Captain Olivia Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) former partner, Detective Elliot Stabler, Give Me My Remote reports. The milestone will air on November 12.

Hargitay teased his appearance with posts on Instagram on Tuesday, September 22. First, she wrote, “WHO DAT,” in a photo of herself pointing at who is clearly Meloni with his back to her. Then, she followed that up with a photo of herself and Meloni smiling. “Happy 600..,” she wrote in the caption. See those posts below.

This will be Meloni’s first appearance on SVU since the Season 27 premiere (pictured above) as well as his first since his spinoff, Law & Order: Organized Crime, was canceled after five seasons on NBC, then Peacock. Since then, fans have been speculating about a return to SVU and when it would happen.

 

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While showrunner Michele Fazekas wouldn’t comment on returning characters this season, for the milestone or otherwise, when we spoke with her in August, she did tease of the 600th, “I’m not going to give away too much, but it’s going to be — I think in years past, they’ve sometimes done these big reunion episodes like bringing back [characters]. And so it’s going to be the show. It’s going to be our characters and going back to the heart of the show and what it is.”

It certainly makes sense then to bring back one of the OGs — for the first 12 seasons, Benson and Stabler were partners. Hargitay is the sole cast member remaining from Season 1; Ice-T joined the cast in Season 2, and everyone followed in later seasons.

And when we spoke with Fazekas last May about the Season 27 finale, she’d stressed the importance of Benson and Stabler’s relationship.

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“I wouldn’t want to just drop him in an unimportant scene,” she shared. “You have to use him and bring him in with purpose. So, yeah, I would love to bring Stabler back around once in a while.”

As she noted, “When I was on the show, it was Benson and Stabler, and I personally don’t know about a love interest for her. I think that is a really important relationship that I do want to serve as much as we can. … I think it’s important to service that relationship for me personally and also for the fans. It’s a super important relationship to Benson, and Benson is a different person than she was when I was on the show before. She has grown in so many different ways, and that relationship is very different, and Stabler is a different person. So, what are they now together? And so exploring that would be great if Chris Meloni is available.”

We’ll have to wait to see what brings Stabler back into Benson’s life. Will it be a case or something personal? There are, after all, fans who are hoping that SVU goes there after nearly three decades.

But what are you hoping to see when Stabler pops up in Benson’s life again for the 600th episode? Let us know in the comments section below.

Law & Order: SVU, Season 28 Premiere, Thursday, October 8, 9/8c, CBS