Mariska Hargitay, Chris Meloni Spotted On ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Season 26 Set

Stunning weather on the final day of winter in New York City was made more beautiful by two of our favorite people.

Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni reunited on the set of “Law & Order: SVU” on March 19 for what appears to be the first time in nearly two years.

“Just leaving this here 👯‍♂️,” Hargitay captioned a series of photos on Instagram of herself with Meloni.

In the first two pics, the duo walk arm in arm down the streets of NYC, and in the last snap, Meloni drapes an arm around Hargitay as she rests her head on his shoulder and wraps her arms around his waist.

Hargitay, of course, has portrayed Olivia Benson on “SVU” since the start in 1999. Meloni plays Elliot Stabler, who also got his start alongside his partner, Benson, on the show in ’99. He departed the series in 2011 and later returned in April 2021 on the spinoff “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”

Fans of Benson and Stabler have been holding out hope the characters will also become romantic partners. In Stabler’s return “SVU” episode, Stabler’s wife died, and over the past few years, Benson and Stabler have crossed over to each other’s shows and even shared some steamy moments.

However, the two haven’t physically shared a scene since the 2023 crossover finale event for “SVU” and “OC.”

That will soon change as Hargitay is set to appear in the upcoming fifth season of “OC” in the second episode, which was written by Meloni. The show, which moved to Peacock after four seasons on NBC, will still have a special premiere with its first episode of the new season airing at 10 p.m. ET April 17 on NBC. The first two episodes will also be streaming that day on Peacock.

Hargitay reflected on acting in the episode in an October 2024 interview with TODAY.com.

“It was, you know, daring. It was risk-taking. It was moving. It was out of the box, the way he thinks,” she said of Meloni’s “amazing” writing. “It was so fresh and so intimate.”

She explained “nobody really understands” their relationship like they do because of their “incredible shorthand.”

Hargitay also appreciates Meloni’s “incredible thoughtfulness on every moment and how deep he goes into it.”

“It’s just fun for me to be with him because when we are together, there’s just an immediate drop-in, I think, that is unique to us — with all this incredible history,” she added.