Chris Meloni will return to his alma mater, Regulation & Order: SVU, for the upcoming twenty seventh season of the perennially standard procedural, the actor confirmed in a current Instagram put up.

“Hangin with mates on a Friday nite @therealmariskahargitay @dannflorek,” the Emmy-nominated actor wrote on social media alongside selfies of himself with fellow sequence vets Mariska Hargitay and Dann Florek.

Deadline’s sister publication TVLine first reported the information, which follows earlier bulletins of behind-the-scenes modifications on the NBC juggernaut. In Might, Deadline solely reported that Juliana Martinez and Octavio Pisano wouldn’t be returning to SVU as sequence regulars, and author/government producer Julie Martin and director/government producer Norberto Barba would even be exiting the venerable drama. Moreover, Kelli Giddish is returning full-time, reprising her position as Amanda Rollins. And, viewers will get to see extra of Captain Curry by way of Aimé Donna Kelly, who’s being upped from her closely recurring position to sequence common.

Each SVU and the mothership Dick Wolf sequence had been renewed by the community earlier this 12 months, with Michele Fazekas stepping in because the showrunner, the primary lady to shepherd the veteran sequence. The 2 reveals are having their greatest seasons on Peacock in complete viewers in Stay+35, having reached greater than 44 million complete viewers throughout linear and digital platforms this season, mixed.

Meloni’s Elliot Stabler exited SVU again in Season 12 as a sequence common, although he has featured numerous occasions since his departure, most notably throughout Season 24, when his character and Hargitay’s Olivia Benson shared a near-kiss, driving each a scores excessive and followers wild. Simply earlier this week, the actor responded to a fan’s demand that his character “kiss her already” with “I’m f—ing making an attempt.”

Each flagship Regulation & Order and Regulation & Order: SVU will return Sept. 25.