Hargitay and Meloni Still Going Strong on SVU

After NBC’s announcement that it is picking up "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" for its ninth season comes the news that "SVU" stars Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni have signed a deal that will keep them center stage straight throught to a tenth season, bringing them all the way up to 2009. The new contracts contain a sizeable raise for the two lead actors, which estimates put between $300,000 and $340,000 per episode.

That may sound obscene, but consider a few things that are undeniably true. "SVU" is the highest rated of the "Law & Order" shows NBC has made such a lucrative frachise of since the original "Law & Order" premiered 17 years ago. Since its debut in 1990, "Law & Order" has gone through several lead cast members, not unlike "ER" with constant turnover. The series has survived the death of its star Jerry Orbach, and 274 episodes of "Law & Order" are part of the late actor’s legacy.

All the while, "SVU" has been headlined by Hargitay and Meloni with only minor changes in supporting cast, and the only major deviation from the two main stars occurred because of Hargitay’s recent maternity leave. Fans were very dissatisfied with Stabler’s new partner Dani Beck who was only a temporary replacement for Benson, but she posed a great threat to the chemistry of the two characters and it stirred up "SVU" audiences. Benson and Stabler are a team, the way Mulder and Scully were a team on "The X-Files" and the series is so successful, not only because of it’s trademark "Law & Order" grit and controversial subject matter, but because of these two shining stars who put the punch in the formula.

Zap2It quoted "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf on the new contracts; "Obviously, I'm thrilled that Chris and Mariska have decided to stay with a show that they've made an indelible stamp upon as we move into our ninth season." Their report also puts "SVU" second only to the new hit "Heroes" in NBC’s ratings for this season with an approximate 13.1 million viewers per week tuning in to see Benson and Stabler in action and on the case. "SVU" and its lead pair is set to keep going like the Energizer Bunny of "Law & Order" shows.