Law & Order: SVU Reaches Episode 600 With Christopher Meloni's Return

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit reaches a milestone on Nov. 12 with its 600th episode, and it brings back a familiar face. Christopher Meloni returns as Elliot Stabler, the detective who worked alongside Mariska Hargitay's character until he left the show in 2011.

The episode is titled "Obedience." According to Variety, it follows Captain Olivia Benson and Stabler as they reopen an old case. The story also leans into Benson's personal life, a thread that runs through the episode alongside the investigation.

Hargitay has played Benson since 1999, which makes her one of the longest-serving stars of a scripted drama on American television. She has now been part of the show for more than 25 years, through many cast changes. Meloni's exit in 2011 was one of the biggest of those changes for fans of the original pairing.

Hargitay has also had a strong year away from the set. In September she won two Emmy Awards for her documentary "My Mom Jayne," which looks at the life of her mother, the actress Jayne Mansfield. Emmys are the television industry's top prizes, handed out each year by the Television Academy.

Behind the scenes, the episode had a busy schedule. Production on Episode 600 started four days after filming wrapped on the episode featuring Jalen Brunson. A "call sheet," the daily document that lists who works and where, showed Hargitay at the top after Meloni left, and she has stayed there since. Variety reports that she earns nearly $850,000 per episode as the star and an executive producer, meaning one of the senior people overseeing the show's creation.

To mark the occasion, the cast and crew gathered for a celebration dinner. Guests included the current cast and crew, creator Dick Wolf, Wolf Entertainment chief operating officer Peter Jankowski, and Meloni himself. Dinner is a small moment, but it shows how many people have been part of keeping the show on air across 600 episodes.

Episode 600 is one of the few milestones in American scripted television that is measured in individual episodes rather than seasons. Each one needs a writers' room, a shooting crew, actors, editors and a broadcast slot. Most viewers only see the finished hour, but a number of people spent weeks getting this one ready.

The episode airs on Nov. 12. Viewers can find out how the reunion of Benson and Stabler plays out when it goes out.