It's Official: This ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Fan-Favorite Character Will Return

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans, get ready because a fan-favorite detective is back! Christopher Meloni is returning as Elliot Stabler, and this time, it’s for a pretty major occasion.

News of Meloni’s return spread quickly after fellow SVU star Mariska Hargitay shared a photo from set on Instagram Tuesday, September 22. In the selfie, Hargitay points toward Meloni, who can be seen hanging out in the background.

"WHO DAT," she captioned the post.

Needless to say, fans went absolutely wild over the surprise reunion.

"THE SCREAM I JUST SCRUMT. 600 about to be epic," one person commented, noting the show's upcoming milestone 600th episode.

"OH MY GOD GUYS ITS HAPPENING!!!! MOM AND DAD IN THE HOUSE," another wrote. A third chimed in, "It’s my favorite bald man," while a fourth exclaimed, "I’m literally dying from excitement!!!"

Another fan simply declared, "ELLIOT STABLER AND OLIVIA BENSON ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!"

For a little context, Meloni played Stabler on SVU for 12 seasons before leaving the series. He later reprised the role in the spinoff Law & Order: Organized Crime, which announced in April that its fifth season would be its last. Following the news, Meloni shared a teary-eyed video on Instagram.

"Thank you OC/SVU fans. You gave me a life,” he captioned the post.

Meloni has made several SVU guest appearances over the years, including at the start of Season 27, when Stabler and his former partner, Capt. Olivia Benson, played by Hargitay, crossed paths outside a wake for their former boss, Capt. Donald Cragen. The emotional scene ended with Stabler telling Benson, with whom he has shared a longtime friendship that has occasionally veered into romantic territory, that he loved her.

Now, fans will get to see them together again. Season 28 of Law & Order: SVU premieres October 8 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

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