After months of tense negotiations, Law & Order: SVU headliners Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay have inked new deals to remain on the beat for not one but two more years, sources confirm to me exclusively.
The two-year part comes with an asterisk since, as you know, SVU has only been picked up for one more season (its 11th). Basically, if NBC renews the show beyond next season, Meloni and Hargitay are guaranteed to be a part of it.
As I reported in early April, talks hit a wall when the actors attempted to go after the show’s back-end profits, something that’s almost never granted in the L&O universe. A month later, NBC co-chair Marc Graboff told me that SVU would carry on with or without its two leads, adding that “there’s an offer on the table.”
So, who budged? Neither side is commenting, but indications are that a very happy compromise was forged that sweetens the duo’s $385K-per-episode salary. In exchange, both actors agreed to add a second year to their pacts.
Relieved that Chris and Mariska are staying put? Sound off in the comments!
More Law & Order: SVU scoop:
Christine Lahti is the new ADA!
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Wow…hope they got what they wanted, they deserve it. Surprised they agreed to 2 years tho..I was thinking that IF they signed on, next year would for sure be the last…Hopefully they can get it together and start writing some good epi’s though…starting to go down hill…Time to wrap it up?
YAY!!!!!! Finally. I wouldn’t watch SVU without them. =D
thank god
So greedy. How much money do they need? This show is already making them incredibly rich.
Great news for the show, the fans, and especially NBC, who can’t afford to lose them
http://tvdonewright.com/2009/06/29/its-official-law-order-svu-keeping-both-of-their-stars/
And can we say…airbrushed?
Its not about greed or how much money they need; the point it that NBC is making a ton off of them and they deserve a large chunk of it.
I love he 2 of them on this show. I think most actors are overpaid, so I’m not going to single these 2 out and, besides, compared to a lot of others, theirs does not seem that high. And, I’d rather see them get it than Jay Leno.
No Mariska and Chris, no SVU. Good call.
While I like these two, I was hoping that each would return for fewer episodes and that we could have more episodes showcasing Finn & Munch.
I would love to see more episodes that featured this pair with the other two in a more supporting role.
Im so happy they agreed to a deal. These are my favorite L & O characters ever. I hope next season will be outstanding…The show needs a little lifter upper. The past couple seasons were not my favorites.
Chris and Mariska back — CHECK.
Step. March back —– Check.
Christine Lahti for a arc —- OK, I can buy it.
Now if Dickie Wolf can get some new writers that aren’t hacks like they have in the past two season. You feelin’ me Wolfie?
And to AK: You are worth whatever you bring to the network. Sure almost everyone on the cast is already rich. But for that they all should be endentured servants to NBC and Dick Wolf? Think about it.
Now the 2nd year worries me some. If SVU doesn’t survive past this coming season, does this mean that the duo is, as we say in radio, on the beach for a year, sitting out the second year? Or will NBC force them into new projects to keep them at NBC/Universal?
SVU is one of my faves on TV. I can’t imagine the show without Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay. So glad they’re coming back!
These two actors are great but give us more finn and munch next season. I think they deserve more screen time because they work great together.
Relieved? Huh?! How about ecstatic, elated, delighted, ecstatic, elevated, enchanted, exalted, excited, exhilarated, gleeful,jubilant, overjoyed, euphoric…well, you get the picture!
I hope they got part of the back-end profits. They made the show what it is, and Chris and Mariska are what people are tuning in to watch–the writing IS terrible. They use stories “ripped from the headlines,” so if you watch the news at all, you know how the show is going to go (until the twist they add at the end to make it different from real life). But the problem is, the detectives always act surprised, and it cuts to commercial with their mouths hanging open. They always seem to be the last to know, and even if they don’t read “our” newspapers, you would think they’ve seen so much crazy sh’t that nothing surprises them anymore. And yet, they still stand there all clueless. Anyway, if Vincent D’Onofrio and Chris Noth can get back-end deals, why can’t Chris and Mariska? More people watch SVU.
385,000 PER EPISODE times 22 episodes = 8,470,000 a year.
Most americans make 10% in ONE year what they are making in ONE episode.
Hey O’Bama .. why not TAX their GROSSly overstated pay to pay for MY HEALTHCARE?!
It’s about time. That and the fact that Stephanie March is sticking around is great news for the show.
You bet it’s a relief! I wasn’t going to watch anymore without them, and the same goes for a lot of viewers. I’m really happy a compromise has been reached!
I’m very happy to hear this news.. and agree with others they have made this show watchable…
its my favorite show…pay them what they want, there’s very few shows left on TV that have decent actors – its all Speidi crap now a days…I’d rather watch SVU than the Hills…get the money while you can!
Couldn’t care less. The show is SO going downhill. As far as what they’re getting, it’s too much.
GREAT! I’m thrilled that they are going to come back. Chris and Mariska really are the show, their chemistry is the key to the success.
Too bad. I was hoping against hope that they’d leave so I can actually watch that show again.
Finally we know!!! I am so glad that they are coming back as the show would not be the same with out them!!!
That’s great news!
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This is the best news I’ve heard all year!! I am so thrilled that my favorite show will have it’s stars back for hopefully TWO more seasons!! Thank you so much for letting all of us fans know!
i guess that’s good, cause i watch the show and they are central to it, but i don’t really like either of their characters, and they seem like really lame people irl so i guess i think they should be forced to work for free or something.
Am I the only one who’s more interested in the return BD Wong and Tamara? Or Fin and Munch? I always like the delivery of (a DNA) twist from a “seen-it-all” Warner, and the calm and composed manner of Huang when interviewing his subjects.
I do like Chris & Mariska, and I do hope they get their sweet deals (and screw the corporate suits),but not at the expense of their fellow co-stars!
Now that this is solved, lets work on getting Munch more than one line per show.