As an O.G. fan of Law & Order: SVU, I cannot deny that I was witness to some of the greatest chemistry between characters to ever go unfulfilled on the small screen. I, of course, am taking bout the relationship between police detective partners Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, which had strong undercurrents of sexual tension for their 12 seasons together on the series. Their portrayers, Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, have never denied their palpable on-screen chemistry, but when Hargitay's husband, Younger star Peter Hermann, was jokingly asked about sharing her with Meloni, he truly gave an A+ response.
As you will likely know by now, after a full decade apart as their characters, Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni recently reunited on set for both SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime, Meloni's new series. Fans have been waiting for this moment literally the entire time they were separated, mostly because that on-screen chemistry translated to a very real life friendship. Now that Benson and Stabler are in each other's orbits again, Peter Hermann, who appeared on Daily Pop to promote the new season of Younger, was asked about what it's been like to share Hargitay with Meloni in a "throuple" during their nearly 18-year marriage, and he responded:
Um, you know, we make it work. We make it work. And, sometimes, Chris and I have some things to negotiate, but we've gotten really good at communicating with each other. There's a lot of give and take, and in the end all three of us are really happy. I think there's much to be said for progressive marriages.
Now! Listen closely, Bensler fans! Keep in mind that this is Peter Hermann playing along with a very purposefully silly question, and giving what could be construed as a serious answer simply to have a bit of fun, OK? Trust me, I know how badly some of us ship Benson and Stabler to the point where fantasy blurs into reality. All you have to do is look at the response over the past several years whenever Hargitay or Meloni shared a photo together on social media to know that people go gaga for these two, though it is with good reason.
But! There is no Hermann / Hargitay / Meloni throuple going on, alright? Good. Glad we cleared that up.
Of course, Bensler fans who've been keeping up with SVU and Organized Crime will know that the longest-standing obstacle which had been in the not-couple's way (Sorry, Kathy! I really liked you!) is no longer a factor. Obviously, Stabler losing his wife to a violent attack has not been easy for him, but it may have led him to finally admit that he loves Benson, as he told her as much in a recent episode. Even though he back-tracked a bit and proclaimed that this love was the same as the love he has for his kids, you can bet that fans of the potential twosome want it to mean way more.
You can take a look as Peter Hermann discusses his "throuple" in the video below, where it starts at about the four minute mark:
Luckily, Peter Hermann has a good sense of humor about some fans wanting Mariska Hargitay to be with Christopher Meloni in real life, but I wouldn't expect any less, as he's probably been hearing from Bensler fans for their entire marriage.
