Benson will soon be fighting the pedophiles of New York City without her long time partner Elliot Stabler. Actor Christopher Meloni is exiting Law & Order: SVU after he failed to come to terms on a new contract with Universal Media Studios.
It’s being reported that producers of the show wanted Meloni to take a pay cut, a move they tried to pull in 2009 which led to Meloni handing in his letter of resignation.
There’s still a chance that his newest resignation could be remedied, especially with the show’s rating still performing well and his partner Olivia Benson (played masterfully by Mariska Hargitay) already signed on for a 13th season, but only on a limited time basis as she raises her real life adopted baby girl.
Producers are currently searching for a replacement for Meloni and a yet unnamed detective will take over much of Olivia’s role when she is promoted to a supervisory role part way through season 13.
As a fan of the show I for one will miss Meloni’s character if he really exits the series, Stabler added a gritty shoot from the hip type attitude while managing to build a relationship with his viewers that will be impossible to replace.