Chris Meloni, aka Elliot Stabler, is the savior we need right now. I don’t want to say the world started going downhill once Mr. Meloni left Law And Order: SVU but…it kind of did?
Think about it, when was the last time the world was happy? 2011! When did Chris leave SVU ? 2011! Coincidence? I think not!
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While the show is still amazing and the best part of my week, there’s no denying I, and many other fans, miss the hunky, hilarious Elliot Stabler.
If you’ve been following Chris Meloni’s *SVU* saga, you’ll know the actor was meant to return for the 22nd season premiere back in November.
However, scheduling conflicts and delays with Chris’ spin-off show, Law & Order: Organized Crime , meant the actor was left out of the premiere.
The disappointment was almost too much to handle! It was almost as disappointing as when my husband tells me he’s happy to make dinner after work, and then forgets to defrost the chicken.
Needless to say, fans have been waiting anxiously to see Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler together again!
It’s the reunion fans have been waiting nearly a decade for, and unlike a high school reunion, you actually like the people involved!
Last year, Chris revealed to the *New York Post* that he hadn’t ever planned on returning to the *Law & Order: SVU* universe until 2020!
While chatting with the publication, the 59-year-old told fans he’s looking forward to seeing how his and Mariska Hargitay’s characters’ “inherent drama” unfolds.
If you recall, they didn’t exactly leave things on ideal terms when he left 10 years ago…
“Benson and Stabler are inextricably linked, locked and connected,” he said.
Obviously, this made me incredibly happy to HEAR!
“I think there is truly and deeply a worthwhile, inherent drama in exploring that relationship.”
He continued: “And the complexity of how Stabler left — the unresolved emotions both characters feel and how the fans feel. How my character left was really unsatisfying, I think.”
“It almost feels that we won’t do one or two [crossover] episodes and move on our merry way. I just think there will always be possibilities there.”
“People will always be hungry to see how we interact and how that dynamic has changed,” he said. “I left with zero animosity, but I did leave clearly and open-eyed in going forward and finding new adventures.”
“I had done the *Law & Order* way of storytelling, which they do really well, and I was interested in telling stories from a different angle,” he explained. “Whether comedic or inhabiting a new world or doing it on different platforms.”
He revealed that the show’s creator, Dick Wolf, contacted him personally to ask him to return, and it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“I never thought this was going to happen, but the circumstances for me changed,” he said. “So, ‘yes’ became the correct answer.”
Back in December, Chris shared a bunch of behind-the-scenes photos of his return to set, and it was electric.
He captioned the photo of his signature Stabler ink “#firstdayofschool,” which naturally led to everyone losing their minds in the comments!
Now, fans are getting another behind-the-scenes look at Elliot Stabler’s return in a series of selfies posted on both Mariska and Chris’ Instagram pages.
“Now even closer… #EO,” Mariska captioned the picture.
I could recognize Chris’ bulky head and shoulders anywhere. And how stunning does Mariska look? It’s like she is aging in reverse — I need to know her secrets.
The lovely selfies didn’t stop there!
Chris didn’t want to miss out on the fun and opted for a more dramatic black and white selfie. “We are a little bit closer,” Chris captioned his post. It looks like Chris is rocking Elliot’s classic suit and tie look in the photo.
The suspense might actually kill me!
Hopefully this means *Law and Order: Organized Crime* isn’t trailing too far behind.
I have so missed having Elliot on my screen every week! Now more than ever, the world could use some classic, feel-good distractions from reality.
Are you looking forward to Chris Meloni’s return? Let us know in the comments below!
