Former 'Law & Order: SVU' partners Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni reunited on Mon., Nov. 14. Sadly, it wasn't for an episode, but it was for a good cause!

The two were spotted in New York City at the 12th Annual Make Believe on Broadway gala at the Shubert Theater. To the delight of many -- including the 'SVU' fans here at AOL TV -- the dynamic TV detective duo posed for photos on the red carpet.

As much as we're digging the new 'SVU' this season, it's great to see Meloni and Hargitay back together. Just look at Hargitay's smile!

It's another boy for 'Law & Order: SVU' star Mariska Hargitay!

According to People, Hargitay has adopted her second child, Andrew, just six months after adopting daughter Amaya Josephine. Hargitay and husband Peter Hermann also have a 5-year-old son, August.

Andrew Nicolas Hargitay Hermann was born over the summer.

"We never in a million years thought it would happen this quickly, but something inside of us knew that this was right, and we said, 'Yes, yes, yes!'" Hargitay told People. "We knew this was our guy. Everything about it felt right. It felt divinely right."

Who are TV's highest paid actresses? You know their names, but you won't guess where they wind up on the list.

According to Forbes, the four main ladies of 'Desperate Housewives' made it on the list. So did Julianna Margulies of 'The Good Wife.'

What about Tina Fey, one of the busiest ladies in comedy? You betcha!

Combined, the Top 10 ladies made $94 million between May 2010 and May 2011.

Forbes took into consideration salaries and endorsement deals while compiling their list. Remember, some of these women are also producers on other projects.

So, who's tops and who is set to do some climbing? Find out below!

The tides of change are sweeping in on the thirteenth season premiere of 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' (Wed., 10PM ET on NBC). After twelve seasons on the top-rated show, Christopher Meloni won't be a part of the show after contract negotiations failed, while Mariska Hargitay is reducing her workload.

In the season premiere, we learned that Det. Stabler has put in his retirement papers. And since Meloni wasn't available to be in the show, Det. Benson had to learn this second-hand. While publicly she appeared to take it pretty well, she had a breakdown in private.

Now it's going to be the show's task to reinvigorate the show with a different energy and some new faces without the face of one of its biggest stars. Why does that sound familiar?

Warren Leight is the new showrunner on 'Law & Order: SVU.' He wrote this blog post for us, in advance of tonight's Season 13 premiere, to help prepare fans for what's to come: the loss of Stabler, the introduction of two new SVU recruits and the change in Benson's attitude from confident to somewhat unsure.



After a 12-year run, Chris Meloni has chosen to leave the 'SVU' stages, which means Det. Elliot Stabler will be leaving the squad room.

All of his co-workers will feel the loss, but none more than Olivia Benson, his partner for that whole time. The SVU team will be adjusting to the end of that partnership for the first several episodes of the season.

It's no secret 'Law & Order: SVU' went through some changes between Season 12 and 13 (premieres Wed., Sept. 21, 10PM ET on NBC).

Longtime 'SVU' staple Christopher Meloni left the series and showrunner Neal Baer also said goodbye. However, the cast and crew are taking the departures in stride, welcoming new and returning faces to the fold.


"This year, Season 13 of 'SVU,' is a bit of a rebirth," new showrunner Warren Leight told a group of reporters on the 'SVU' set recently.

By now, everyone knows that Steve Carell has left the building, and James Spader has joined the cast of 'The Office,' but as we saw on 'The 2011 Emmy Awards' (Sun., 8PM ET on FOX), Spader isn't the only new person getting face time at Dunder-Mifflin.

In a very fun video, we got to see a who's who of television in that familiar office chair where the castmembers from the show do their confessionals.

They were all talking about what they hated about their jobs, like Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) hating rapists, sex trafficking and crimes against children -- this is a much darker take for 'The Office.'

Mariska Hargitay said she's open-minded about sticking around for more seasons of 'Law & Order: SVU.'

When asked if Season 13 (premieres Wed., Sept. 21, 10PM ET on NBC) would be her last, Hargitay said, "I'm going into this with a completely open mind."

"What I've learned is you don't know what the future brings and everything is new," she said. "Everything is fresh."

Hargitay's longtime co-star Christopher Meloni left the show after Season 12.

Big changes are ahead on 'Law & Order: SVU.' When Season 13 kicks off, Christopher Meloni's Detective Elliot Stabler will no longer be part of the show and neither will B.D. Wong. Danny Pino and Kelli Giddish will join the cast.

Have no fear, Mariska Hargitay is sticking around as Detective Olivia Benson and Richard Belzer, Dann Florek and Ice-T will also be back this year. Additionally, Stephanie March and Diane Neal will be reprising their ADA roles in the new season.

In the season premiere, 'SVU' puts a twist on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn rape case that's currently grabbing headlines. The Season 13 premiere will focus on a prominent Italian man, played by Franco Nero, who is investigated after his illegitimate son is claimed to be the result of rape.

Check out an exclusive behind the scenes gallery from the new season below!

Television is attracting more and more big-name stars, but this week's TV Guide Magazine points out that it's probably more of a fiscally sound decision for the actors than we realize.

While the most elite A-Listers make millions in movies, it's much less lucrative for everyone else. TV, on the other hand, offers a steady paycheck. Six-digit paydays add up when you take a 22- or 13-episode season into account.

It probably won't surprise you to know that Ashton Kutcher, who is filling Charlie Sheen's shoes on 'Two and a Half Men,' tops the comedy list with a salary of $700,000 per episode -- half a million dollars less than what Sheen was making. 'House' star Hugh Laurie makes the same $700,000 for every hourlong episode of the Fox medical drama.

It's been a confusing time for fans of 'Law & Order: SVU' over the last few months. First, veteran showrunner Neal Baer stepped down, and then came news of star Christopher Meloni's surprise exit.

After producers hired not one, but two, new actors for lead roles in the wake of Meloni's departure, worried fans have been left to question the fate of Mariska Hargitay and her character, Det. Olivia Benson.

Now producers have acted to reassure fans, telling 'Entertainment Weekly' that the new additions to the cast do not pose a threat to Hargitay, and that she will continue to play a marquee role in the 'Law & Order' franchise when it returns in the fall.

A NBC spokesman said that Hargitay will appear in every episode of the upcoming Season 13 even though Kelly Giddish ('The Chase') and Danny Pino ('Cold Case') have joined the cast.

It's only been a month since Christopher Meloni stepped down from 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,' but producers are reportedly screen-testing his possible replacements in New York today.

Production on the upcoming Season 13 is due to get underway soon and, according to Deadline.com, 'SVU' creator/executive producer Dick Wolf and NBC have narrowed the field to a short list of five.

The actors, who have all doubtless just spent a sleepless night in the Big Apple rehearsing their lines, have been named as: Danny Pino ('Cold Case'), Kevin Alejandro ('True Blood,' 'Southland'), David Conrad ('Ghost Whisperer'), Michael Raymond-James ('Terriers') and Rhys Coiro ('Entourage').

Each one will test today with Meloni's co-star, Mariska Hargitay, who plays Det. Olivia Benson on the drama. Both Alejandro and Raymond-James recently guest-starred on 'SVU,' so could be feeling like they've got the edge.

Mariska Hargitay is just as upset as we are about Christopher Meloni's decision not to return as Det. Elliot Stabler on 'Law & Order: SVU' next season.

The actress also known as Olivia Benson told TV Line, "For the past 12 years Chris has been my partner and friend, both on screen and off. He inspired me every day with his integrity, his extraordinary talent and his commitment to the truth. I love him deeply and will miss him terribly -- I'm so excited to see what he'll do next."

We are too, Mariska. We are too.

The 'Law & Order' franchise drama continues -- with or without the shows' stars.

For weeks, rumors have been swirling that Jennifer Love Hewitt might be replacing Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson on 'Special Victims Unit.' Fans breathed a sigh of relief when Hargitay signed on for one more season, but now it looks like it's time to start searching for Elliott Stabler's replacement.

According to TVLine.com, Christopher Meloni will not be returning for the show's 13th season this fall.

'SVU' has been on the air at NBC for over a decade, since 1999, with Meloni and Hargitay as the leads, but while contract negotiations worked out for Hargitay, it wasn't so simple for Meloni. According to TVLine's unnamed source, "Protracted talks between the actor ... and studio NBC Universal broke down on Tuesday."

Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni have made it no secret that they're interested in cutting back on their hours manning the Special Victims Unit on 'Law & Order: SVU.' But news broke today that an unlikely actress is eying a role as Hargitay's replacement: Jennifer Love Hewitt.

The former 'Ghost Whisperer' star is reportedly in talks to take over as the partner of Meloni's Elliot Stabler around mid-season when Hargitay's Olivia Benson will be promoted to a supervisor position, TV Line reports.

Hargitay has signed a deal to return for 'SVU''s 13th season, but will work fewer hours for the same salary. Meloni has not yet signed a deal, but he is reportedly asking for a raise and will likely not come to an official agreement until after NBC's Upfront presentation next week.