'Law & Order' star Christopher Meloni to return as Elliot Stabler for new spinoff

Elliot Stabler is back on the case.

Christopher Meloni will reprise his beloved "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" character for a new series coming to NBC, The Times has confirmed. And the 13-episode order will be executive produced by none other than "Law & Order" super-producer Dick Wolf.

According to Deadline, the spinoff will center on Stabler as he leads the NYPD's organized-crime unit. It's the first program Wolf is developing as part of a whopping five-year deal he signed with Universal Television last month.

It's been nearly 10 years since the "Law & Order" universe featured Meloni, who left at the end of "SVU's" 12th season after more than a decade starring alongside Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson. The following season explained that Stabler had retired from the police force.

Since then, Meloni has acted in several other small-screen projects, such as "The Handmaid's Tale," "Pose," "True Blood" and "Veep," as well as the movies "42," "Man of Steel" and "Snatched."

The original "Law & Order: SVU," fronted by Hargitay, is in its 21st season, with a new episode set to air Thursday. The likelihood of a crossover between the new Meloni drama and "SVU" is unclear, though the possibility is there, as both series take place in New York City and could potentially stage a dream-team reunion between Benson and Stabler.