'Law & Order: SVU' stars seal their deals

By Rick Porter, Zap2It | June 30, 2009

Mariska Hargitay / Christopher Meloni

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Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni are staying on the "Law & Order: SVU" beat for at least one more season.

Protracted contract negotiations between the two stars and NBC Universal concluded Monday (June 29) with the two stars agreeing to new one-year deals with an option for a second season. The new contracts will give both actors a pay raise above the reported $375,000-$385,000 per episode they have been making.

What's more, the showbiz trade papers are reporting that Emmy winner Christine Lahti will guest-star in the first four episodes of the season as the Special Victims Unit's assistant district attorney. Stephanie March will then return to the show full-time; she reprised her role as ADA Alexandra Cabot in several episodes last season.

The new deals for Hargitay and Meloni mean that all of the core players in NBC's highest-rated returning drama -- including showrunner Neal Baer -- will be back for the show's 11th season.

Good news, right? It would have been awfully hard to imagine "SVU" without Benson and Stabler, dontcha think?