Do "Law & Order: SVU" Fans Miss Christopher Meloni?

Christopher Meloni

Now that Christopher Meloni’s post-Law & Order: Special Victims Unit career seems to be taking off, we thought we’d check and see how SVU fans feel about the show in the post-Detective Stabler era.

A favorite from his days on HBO’s prison drama Oz (I’m sure his frequent nude scenes had nothing to do with it!), Meloni recently booked a top-secret role in the new Superman movie, Man of Steel, and has landed a buzzy arc on the upcoming fifth season of True Blood.

The frequently bare-chested Meloni was replaced on SVU this season — the show’s 13th — by two new detectives played by Kelli Giddish and Danny Pino (ahem, somebody has yet to doff his shirt!), who joined Mariska Hargitay’s Detective Benson. And while the show still gets decent ratings numbers, some long-time viewers have complained it’s not the same or have completely abandoned the show because of Meloni’s departure.

Danny Pino with Mariska Hargitay in a scene from Law & Order: SVU

But some argue that SVU, like the original Law & Order, is all about the story and can survive through multiple cast changes for many years, like the original did. Only time will tell, but we want to know what SVU and Meloni fans think.

Law & Order: SVU returns with a new episode tonight at 10/9c on NBC