Law & Order: SVU star Chris Meloni has secured his future on the cop drama following reports he was planning to quit the show.
The actor admits he was wrong to suggest he was leaving the hit show in a recent interview with an Australian newspaper - and should have chosen his words more carefully.
The TV star, who plays Detective Eliot Stabler on the show, says, "What I said was, 'When your contract is done... that will be the end. Because when your contract is done, it's usually the end."
"I couched it incorrectly... I had one year on my contract. Our show hasn't been picked up. Those are the facts of the matter."
But Meloni insists he'll stay with the show if it gets picked up
Actor Christopher Meloni has left fans of TV cop drama Law & Order: Svu stunned after announcing he's quitting the show in 2011.
The star has been playing top cop Detective Elliot Stabler since the show started in 1999 and he has decided it's time to walk away.
He'll film one more season of the drama and quit in May, 2012.
In a statement, Meloni says, "I think 12 years is enough, a good number... It will be a very difficult transition. I mean, Jesus Christ, every day when you get used to getting up early and working these hours.
"When you're an actor (not working) it's like, 'Has anyone called yet?'. And having to audition again, which I loathe."
After months of reportedly tense contract negotiations, Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni – stars of Law & Order: SVU – have agreed to return to the popular NBC crime drama for another season.
The agreement means that starting in the fall, SVU will begin its 11th season with Hargitay and Meloni as stars. While terms of the deal have not been disclosed, both stars were reportedly earning $385,000 per episode before a new deal was struck.
Law & Order: SVU stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni have reportedly jeopardised their roles in the hit TV show by demanding more money from network bosses.
The actors are reportedly demanding a share of the programme's profits from the NBC network, in addition to the $350,000 they earn per episode - a rare deal similar to ones TV bosses cut with Law & Order: Criminal Intent stars Vincent D'Onofrio and Chris Noth.
And according to Entertainment Weekly, NBC bosses are threatening to dump the pair when their contracts expire in May if an agreement is not reached in time.
Series creator Dick Wolf tells the New York Post, "It is my fondest hope that both Chris and Mariska will be back next season."
Law & Order: SVU star Chris Meloni has secured his future on the cop drama following reports he was planning to quit the show.
