Who is that masked duo?
Well, "Law & Order: SVU" fans know darn well who it is: Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni in costume and arm-in-arm as Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler. Yes, it's all finally happening — they are on set together! Again!
New photos have surfaced of the actors wearing masks as part of COVID-19 precautions and, we imagine, possibly to play their characters, who will appear together on "SVU" and Meloni's new Stabler spinoff, "Law & Order: Organized Crime."
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The new pictures aren't doing much explaining but indicate the two were on the set of "Law & Order: SVU" on Monday shooting scenes.
But images Hargitay posted to her Instagram on Monday, featuring herself and Meloni in the background, suggested they might also have been shooting on the "Organized Crime" set. The photos appear to have been taken in the same location, and Hargitay's first image shows a cemetery in the background. The second and third photos show the actors' personal director's chairs, which read "Law & Order: Organized Crime" on the back.
"It's all happening..." Hargitay wrote in the caption.
"THIS IS WHAT WE NEEDED TO BEGIN HEALING AGAIN," wrote one fan in the comments.
"CHRISKA CHRISKA CHRISKA," wrote another.
"I just (c)ant stop crying, this is really happening! After 10 years, ITS REALLY HAPPENING," wrote a third.
Fans feel the passion, but also the impatience. This is awesome news that's been a long time coming. Meloni and Hargitay started out on "SVU" when it debuted in 1999 and became a seriously powerful non-couple (they have awesome chemistry but have never shared a romance). Meloni departed in 2011, and there was great sadness in "SVU"-land.
But then last March, word of a new Meloni/Stabler spinoff came to light: "Organized Crime." Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and the series was delayed. Well, the delay seems to be over, though there's no official premiere date for the new spinoff. Instead, the actors have been teasing fans for weeks with screenshots from Zoom table reads and hinty Instagram photos, including one of Stabler's tattoo).
But now things are starting to finally look official. And "Organized." And, as always, "Special."
Now all we need is a premiere date!