Law & Order: SVU': Inside Mariska Hargitay & Chris Meloni's Close Bond

Fans of the popular hit crime drama series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” fell in love with the show because of the duo Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni.

Actor Christopher Meloni recently got candid about his relationship with fellow costar Mariska Hargitay. He also dished on their reunion for the show’s new spin-off.

According to People, he gushed on his return onset and reuniting with Hargitay. The pair previously starred on the series for 12 years as Meloni left in 2011 due to his contract negotiations issues.

Hargitay plays Detective Olivia Benson, and Meloni plays her partner in crime as Detective Elliot Stabler. During his virtual appearance on “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon asked whether returning on the show was easy.

Meloni said that it’s a cliché because most of the things on set have changed. The Washington D.C native added that they have different actors, and so he had no connection.

However, all that changed “as soon as I got to act with Mariska, it was like yesterday,” he said. The 60-year-old added that they know each other and mess around socially.

According to Meloni, when they got down, and the camera started rolling, "it was such a seamless, effortless endeavor," he said while adding, "it was great."

In February, his fellow castmate opened up about his abrupt exit from the show. Following his departure from the series, the actress revealed that she was devasted.

She told People that she was sad because they started the show and built it together. “And we went through so many milestones and spent so much time together and understood so many things that nobody else could understand,” she shared.

Meloni chimed in said she felt that way because she was left with the familiarity of what they were. He added that there must have been constant reminders and echoes everywhere.

The TV star further explained that for him, it was all about how things played out. Meloni disclosed that the way he left the long-time running series was “inelegant.”

Despite the way things ended years ago, things have now come full circle, and the costars have been sharing snippets of them on set together for the new "Law & Order: Organized Crime,” spin-off. The fan-favorite duo is now back in action.

According to People, 57-year-old Hargitay shared several behind-the-scenes pictures in January from the upcoming series starring Meloni. She posted a snap posing next to him while filming on location at a cemetery.