Benson and Stabler, back together? At least on Instagram. Law & Order: SVU‘s Mariska Hargitay and her former on-screen partner Christopher Meloni reunited ahead of the long-running show’s history-making season 21. Meloni left the series after season 12.
“Sunday night dinner….,” Hargitay captioned the series of selfies.
The two former costars have not been shy about reuniting—off screen. Meloni reportedly left the series after season 12 because of a contract dispute and has only been mentioned, never seen, since. Season 21 of the series makes it the longest-running scripted primetime drama, unseating Gunsmoke and Law & Order. Might we see Meloni’s Stabler back in the fold to celebrate the historical season?
“It’s interesting to me. As long as the show is running, I feel like we will—someday, I would hope to see him again,” returning showrunner Warren Leight told E! News about Meloni. “I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but, yeah, that’s kind of, I think the fans and Benson and Stabler are owed that.”
Now that the show, which officially turns 20 years old on September 20, has made history with season 21, creator Dick Wolf has given the mandate: get to season 25.
See more Hargitay and Meloni reunions below.
Law & Order: SVU season 21 premieres Thursday, Sept. 26 at 10 p.m. on NBC.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)