Chris Meloni joins the latest Law & Order: SVU table read as he gears up to reprise his role as Elliot Stabler. In March 2020, news broke out that after almost a decade of absence from the police procedural, the actor is finally slated to return. He was supposed to appear in the Law & Order: SVU season 22 premiere, but due to filming difficulties because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it was pushed to next year.
Meloni abruptly left Law & Order: SVU on the heels of season 12 after contract renegotiations failed. The actor was part of the show's core cast when it premiered in 1999, playing the aggressive detective opposite Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson. Due to his sudden exit, the series's writers had to explain his absence moving forward; fortunately, however, they crafted a send-off that left some creative wiggle room to bring him back. And while it's still uncertain how he exactly fits in the ongoing narrative for Law & Order: SVU season 22, loyal viewers of the police procedural are simply thrilled that he's returning.
To drive the hype up about Meloni's Law & Order: SVU appearance, Hargitay and showrunner Warren Leight shared images of their latest table reading. Neither image indicates what to expect from the much-anticipated episode, but seeing Meloni back with his old castmates like Hargitay and Ice-T is more than enough tease for the outing. Check out the photos below:
Stabler's Law & Order: SVU appearance doesn't end Meloni's police procedural return. The outing is expected to be the launching pad for his spin-off titled Law & Order: Organized Crimes. Not much is known about the new Dick Wolf project as it seems to be having a tough time cracking the story following the departure of its showrunner, Matt Olmstead. This could mean further delays to the offshoot. Considering Elliot's hot temper and overall demeanor, hatching a narrative about the rule-bending cop in the BLM movement age is understandably tricky. It will be best if they take their time building a solid premise instead of rushing the project and risk backlash.
The original plan for Stabler's return to Law & Order: SVU was to bring back his family first in the season 21 finale as a set-up for his eventual re-emergence in the season 22 premiere. However, once the pandemic threat became apparent early this year, NBC had to cut the year short due to the health crisis and scrapped the whole idea. Leight said that now, they're opting to go straight to Stabler instead, which means that there won't be any clues about what he has been up to before his appearance.
Source: Mariska Hargitay, Warren Leight