Christopher Meloni Is Bringing His ‘SVU’ Character Back To Television

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Law & Order: SVU fans are in for a treat.

One of the most beloved characters from the longstanding TV show is making his way back to the silver screen. According to reports from Deadline, NBC has given a 13-episode series order to a new Dick Wolf crime drama series starring Christopher Meloni, who will be reprising his SVU role as Elliot Stabler.

The Law & Order spinoff drama revolves around the NYPD organized crime unit led by Stabler. This marks the first show to come out of the huge five-year, nine-figure, multi-platform deal Wolf signed with Universal Television just last month, which includes commitments to develop multiple series.

The upcoming series–which may or may not be branded as part of the Law & Order franchise–is executive produced by Wolf, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski for Wolf Entertainment and Universal TV, a division of NBCUniversal Content Studios. Deadline also reports that the showrunner for Chicago P.D., Matt Olmstead, is being eyed as a writer and showrunner.

The new drama is set in New York, just like  Law & Order: SVU, which allows for potential crossovers between the shows along with a reunion between Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson. Meloni starred in SVU‘s first 12 seasons opposite Hargitay, with their characters being both partners and best friends.

Law & Order: SVU just received a three-year renewal last month as part of Wolf’s new deal.