Chris Meloni Law & Order: SVU Reunion With Mariska Hargitay Photo Tease

File this one under #SquadGoals. Actor Chris Meloni’s long-teased return to the Law & Order Universe and reunion with co-star Mariska Hargitay seems poised to happen sooner rather than later…and fans couldn’t be more pleased.

Chris Meloni Returns To The Law & Order: SVU Fold

Law & Order: SVU showrunner Warren Leight took to Twitter Wednesday evening and shared a snapshot taken during a virtual table read of an upcoming episode – and among the many participants – which of course included Mariska Hargitay (Olivia), Ice-T (Fin), and Kelli Giddish (Rollins), as well as Leight and franchise creator Dick Wolf – was a neon shirted Meloni!

Of the proceedings, Leight commented, “Well, we had a pretty good read-thru.” Fan reactions to the post and, in particular, Meloni’s presence was immediate. Twitter user @Poetographer95 posted an excited, “Omg Chriiiiiiiissssssss!!!!!!!” while @Liv_Noah_Benson wrote, “Oh I spy someone that we all love, can’t wait.”

Fellow Twitter user @puffpuffpuff718, meanwhile, chimed in with, “DADDY AND MAMA TOGETHER AGAIN!!! along with a humorous GIF featuring an exasperated Blanche Deveraux from The Golden Girls, while @kukrae issued a kindly, “Welcome home, @Chris_Meloni”

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As has been previously reported, Meloni will be reprising his Law & Order: SVU character, Elliot Stabler, in an episode of the series as well as brand new spinoff subtitled Organized Crime.

Meloni’s comeback – airdate still to be determined – will mark his first SVU appearance since exiting the part in 2011. In the fictitious world inhabited by his fellow officers, Stabler was said to have taken early retirement after he had shot a young woman (he had to do it to save people).

According to the NBC description of the show, “Elliot Stabler returns to the NYPD to battle organized crime after a devastating personal loss,” it begins. “However, the city and police department have changed dramatically in the decade he’s been away, and he must adapt to a criminal justice system in the midst of its own moment of reckoning.” Dun Dun!

Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.