Christopher Meloni to Reprise Elliot Stabler in SVU Spin-Off!

Christopher Meloni is returning to his iconic Law and Order: SVU role for a new spin-off series focused on Stabler, a character who abruptly departed SVU after 12 seasons. The series will see Stabler returning to the NYPD as the head of an organized crime unit.

Christopher Meloni is bringing his "Law & Order: SVU" character back to television.

With the series being set in NY, the possibilities are endless for potential crossovers between Law & Order: SVU, starring Mariska Hargitay, and a reunion between Stabler and Hargitay's Olivia Benson.

The new series is executive produced by Wolf, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski for Wolf Entertainment and Universal TV, a division of NBCUniversal Content Studios. The show has received a 13-episode order at the broadcaster. Matt Olmstead is being eyed to write the series and serve as showrunner. When Season 13 started, Stabler had retired from the police force and slipped away without a word; his partner, Olivia Benson, learned the heartbreaking news at the same time that fans did.

During his nearly nine years away from "SVU", Meloni remained close with Hargitay and the Wolf family.

Since departing "SVU" in 2011, Meloni headlined the Syfy series "Happy!" and Fox comedy series "Surviving Jack", starred on the praised WGA America series "Underground" and did memorable arcs on "True Blood" and "The Handmaid's Tale". As part of the deal, "SVU" received a three season renewal as did all three of the "Chicago" shows at the network. The pact between Wolf and NBCU reportedly also included multiple series commitments, with the Stabler series the first new show to come out of that deal.

Like all Law and Order-related shows, this new series springs from the mind of Dick Wolf.