SVU Without Mariska and Meloni?
Law & Order: SVU
The good news: NBC has renewed Law & Order: SVU, its highest-rated drama, for an 11th season. The bad news: The network is threatening to replace Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, according to EW's Michael Ausiello.
This shocking development comes as the two leads have reportedly banded together to negotiate pay increases in the form of a share of the back-end profits. An NBC representative told TVGuide.com that it is their policy not to comment on talent negotiations. While a hard-line threat is a common tactic in salary negotiations, it seems unlikely that NBC would follow through with the firings.
But it raises the question: Could SVU exist without its two popular leads?