Mariska Hargitay and Kelli Giddish had an emotional Law & Order: Special Victims Unit reunion forever immortalized in a new photo.
Hours after it was announced that Giddish would be returning once again to the beloved Dick Wolf police procedural as Amanda Rollins in Season 26 of the NBC series, the longtime leading lady shared a photo documenting a sweet behind-the-scenes moment she recently shared with Giddish.
In the image Hargitay, 60, uploaded to Instagram on Thursday, Sept. 5, the two actresses wrap their arms around one another, forming a deep embrace. Hargitay looks overwhelmed with emotion as her co-star squeezes her tightly while surrounded by cameras on what appears to be the set of the series, as the two were spotted filming in SoHo earlier that day.
"[You're] welcome," Hargitay quipped in the caption before she praised the photographer. "And thank you sweet Mary for capturing this moment," she added.
Fans of the series expressed gratitude for the photo as well as excitement for what's to come in the highly-anticipated episodes ahead.
"We miss this friendship so much 😭," one Instagram user wrote.
"Mariska seems like she gives the absolute best and most healing hugs. 🥺🤗 So happy to see that you two will be sharing the screen again! ❤️🥰," another top-liked comment gushed.
"So Excited!!!!" a third cheered.
"Crying 😭😭🤍 so happy she’s back," a different user exclaimed before someone else declared, "Oh my heart! We need her back for good! 🥹🥹❤️❤️."
While Giddish, 44, doesn't appear to be coming back in as a regular after being written off the crime drama in Season 24, a new report from TVLine confirms that she'll "make a bunch of appearances throughout the season" as she attempts to figure out her new path. Executive producers David Graziano and Julie Martin also told the site that she'll have a new job in the NYPD's Intelligence Unit, which could bring several potential new storylines with it.
Law & Order: SVU returns to NBC on Thursday, October 3, premiering at 9 p.m. EST.
