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Law & Order: SVU renewed

No word on the future of Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, but SVU wins an 11th season.

svuNBC has renewed Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for an 11th season, but there is no clear outcome on deals for Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni.

The two, who regularly negotiate their contracts together, only started talks with the network last week.

Both are paid around $350,000 an episode but as the networks are trimming costs getting raises will be much more difficult this time around. Hargitay is said to also be looking for more personal time built into her contract.

Maybe the series approval is a bluff by NBC, given CSI has remained firm without William Petersen. Still, that was a clean transition. Would the audience be so loyal if they felt the two stars were let go?

As for the original Law and Order, it is likely to win a 20th season, but at a slimmer 16 eps.

Source: Hollywood Reporter, Variety

11 Responses

  1. SVU is NBC’s best performing drama in total people, only trailing Heroes and The Office in the demos…I’m sure we’ll see one, if not both of the leads back next year, although if one were to quit it would make for an interesting storyline

  2. I wouldn’t like to lose Mariska either, however have no qualms about Stapler (as my partner calls him) leaving.

    I know I am supposed to suspend disbelief for tv but there is just no way someone with his record for violenece and breaking the rules would still be a cop full stop let alone in an extremely stressful environment like SVU. They have even said on the show before that you usually get rotated out of SVU after a few years so you don’t burn out.

    Ah well!

  3. NBC need to loosen those purse strings or they’ll lose one of their last standing hit dramas. I’m someone who would lose all interest without Mariska and Chris, it just wouldn’t be SVU without them

  4. I could watch SVU without the hotheaded Stabler or overly emotional Benson. The writing this season has gone completely down the drain, way too character focused nowadays (same could be said about Criminal Intent). Both spin-offs need to get back to the basics.

    I agree with Katrina, the Original is pumping out some of the best episodes in years and Law & Order: UK is also fantastic. Quality television.

  5. It would be better with the duo, but i would still watch without them. They would obviously have to find the perfect replacement, as they couldn’t just find anyone. After watching so many replacements on the original L&O, i don’t find the replacements to be any worse than their predecessors, sometimes they are better.

  6. And yet for me, the mothership is by far the best. Seasons 18 and 19 have been fabulous. Whereas SVU has been driving me nuts – the first few episodes of the current season were out of character, severely dislike the new DA, and the writing has been hamfisted and speechy.

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