Christopher Meloni Shares On-Set Selfie with Mariska Hargitay Ahead of Law & Order: SVU Return

Craig Blankenhorn/NBCU Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni in Law & Order: SVU

Benson and Stabler have reunited!

Christopher Meloni shared a photo with Mariska Hargitay from the Law & Order: SVU set Friday, teasing his return to the long-running crime show. Meloni played Elliot Stabler from seasons 1 through 12 of SVU, while Hargitay has starred as Olivia Benson for all 22 seasons.

"We are a little bit closer," Meloni, 59, captioned a black-and-white selfie of the pair on set.

Hargitay went on to share another photo, captioning it, "Now even closer..."

The actor will make an appearance during the current 22nd season of SVU, before starring on the spinoff, Law & Order: Organized Crime, which is slated to begin airing sometime in spring 2021.

RELATED: Christopher Meloni Teases His Law & Order: SVU Return with First Photos on the Set

He was an original cast member when SVU premiered in September 1999, and his chemistry with costar Hargitay helped turn the show into an instant hit.

After he left in 2011 when contract negotiations broke down, his character was written off SVU in the season 12 finale as Stabler retired from the police force.

News of Meloni's return to the beloved franchise broke in March. The upcoming spinoff series, which has received a 13-episode order, will follow Stabler as he returns to the NYPD to battle organized crime after suffering a "devastating personal loss" of his own, NBC announced in June.

As Stabler swings back into action, he will have to adapt to how much the times have changed since he left the force a decade ago. Fans will get to follow Stabler's journey to "find absolution and rebuild his life, while leading a new elite task force that is taking apart the city's most powerful criminal syndicates one by one," according to NBC.

RELATED VIDEO: Chris Meloni Says Reuniting With 'Law & Order: SVU' Costar Mariska Hargitay Is 'Effortless'

Chris Meloni Says Reuniting With 'Law & Order: SVU' Costar Mariska Hargitay Is 'Effortless'

PLUS: Meloni plays Don Wild in 'Maxxx', streaming on Hulu now

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During a July appearance on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show, Meloni gave an update on the project, as it was in flux amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

"We're in the middle of a pandemic production. You know, everything is just insane," he said. "You get new edicts out of New York City and New York state, and for good reason. And then you get new rules and regulations coming out of Universal, and then from the unions. You have to service a lot of masters right now, just to make sure everybody is safe, right? What's the new norm for shooting?"

"So that is the long way of saying the writers are breaking rocks, trying to figure out the arc of the story, who the characters are and how they interact, and I have yet to see a script," he said, jokingly adding, "I'm working on my tan, okay?"

Meloni had also confirmed that Hargitay will appear on his spinoff, which was delayed in October when the previously announced showrunner Matt Olmstead exited the series.