The 2025 TV schedule is an exciting time to be a fan of the Law & Order franchise, and not just because the original show and Law & Order: SVU will deliver their first multi-part crossover in quite some time this spring. Law & Order: Organized Crime will also finally return in mid-April for its first season streaming exclusively for viewers with a Peacock subscription. Leading man Christopher Meloni added to the buzz when he shared some sweet photos with longtime SVU co-star Mariska Hargitay, resulting in a wide variety of comments from fans. My favorites, though, have to be the ones from the Applebee's and IHOP accounts.
Meloni shared a pair of photos with Hargitay on his Instagram account, with a cute caption calling her out for not smiling in the first and then smiling in the second. As a fan of SVU going back longer than I care to admit and a viewer of Organized Crime from the beginning, I wasn't surprised to see that these were the top comments with the most likes:
- leesaraej: "It's time Elliot, go get your girl..... I'm getting OLD!!"
- sassenachhistorian: "When are Liv and Elliott gonna kiss?? It’s quite literally been more than 25 years"
I've personally never rooted for Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson to start a romantic relationship, but I can respect the dedication of shippers who have been holding onto hope for a pairing that's almost 30 years in! SVU put shippers through the wringer with an almost-kiss a couple years ago, and the comments on Hargitay's post with Meloni are pretty similar to the ones on his.
But as I scrolled down through the comments, I was surprised to see that the accounts for two restaurants shared their two cents in a pair of messages that are weirdly cute as well as pretty darn funny. Take a look:
- applebees: "how it feels with you @ihop"
- ihop: @applebees same bestie <3
The Instagram accounts interacting isn't totally random, as both Applebee's and IHOP are owned by the same company, so it's not quite as strange as if McDonald's and Burger King were making vows of friendship or Coke and Pepsi were declaring mutual love in Christopher Meloni's comment section.
But just as I love to look back at how many stars have played repeat roles in the Law & Order franchise, I get a kick out of seeing how far the fandom for the shows – and in this case, the iconic duo of Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay – extends. Who knows? Maybe fans will be motivated to tune in to the first episode of Organized Crime this year with a plate of pancakes and/or a platter of boneless wings.
It remains to be seen if Meloni and Hargitay will actually share the screen before the end of the year, although Organized Crime's Season 5 premiere on April 17 will release before SVU's Season 26 finale, so I'm not ruling it out. After all, I may not be rooting for a romance, but I do love seeing the longtime on-screen partners sharing scenes. With The OC premiere airing on NBC directly after Law & Order and SVU's crossover, I'd honestly be surprised if we don't see one of them on the other's show.
For now, though, check out the promo for Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 and all the cast members who joined Christopher Meloni in the move from NBC to Peacock:
While Law & Order: Organized Crime will release all of its Season 5 episodes weekly on Peacock, the premiere will also air on NBC on Thursday, April 17 in its old 10 p.m. ET time slot to build hype. Hopefully that will be enough to hook fans to follow Stabler and Co. over to Peacock. To prepare for the long-awaited return, you can also revisit the first four seasons on the streaming platform.
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