Exciting news for Law & Order: SVU fans! Chris Meloni, who portrayed the beloved character Elliot Stabler, will be returning in the season 22 premiere of the show. Showrunner Warren Leight revealed this exciting development on a recent episode of The Law & Order: SVU Podcast. He confirmed that it's clear Stabler will make his comeback, though it remains to be seen if we'll also get to see his family.

The plan was to lay the groundwork for Stabler's return and explore the aftermath of his departure from SVU and his family. Leight mentioned that they intended to bring back Kathy Stabler, Elliot's wife, who would be upset after their son was targeted by troublemakers and possibly drugged.

Due to the early end of Season 21 caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the original intention was to set the stage for Stabler's return in his own series. The first episode of the next SVU season was expected to bring Elliot back, and the writers wanted to provide some foreshadowing while explaining more about what happened to Simon.

Fans eagerly await the premiere to witness Elliot Stabler's long-awaited return and the introduction of the new spin-off series.