Super-scooper Michael Ausiello from Entertainment Weekly has advised that Law & Order SVU has been renewed for another season. This will be Law & Order SVU’s eleventh season.
But, don’t start cheering just yet. Michael Ausiello adds:
But there's a catch: The pact covers the show but not leads Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay, whose contracts expire in May. NBC is only now starting negotiations with both actors, and if history is any indication, it could be a tense, protracted affair.
Back in 2007, you'll recall, shortly after the pair inked new two-year deals worth more than $330,000 an episode, Meloni posted a terse message on his personal website calling the talks "unpleasant to say the least." He added that "I'll have much more to say about that when my responsibilities to the show are done."
My beloved Mariska, meanwhile, raised eyebrows last fall when she seemed to suggest in an interview with Ladies' Home Journal that she was looking forward to life after SVU so she could spend more time with her son, August. (At the time, a source close to the actress said her comments were taken out of context.) Her recent health problems also may factor into her decision to stay or go.
NBC declined to comment, but an SVU insider says the net is expected to make a formal announcement about SVU's renewal early next week. Maybe the net's waiting until they have pickup deals in place with the other two L&O's?
Stay tuned as I am sure the story is not over as yet!
Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.
Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.
3 comments:
I hope NBC will realize how important Chris and Mariska are to the show. They ARE SVU...and are the only reason I watch.
"Maybe the net's waiting until they have pickup deals in place with the other two L&O's?"
FALSE
NBC has been dying to shed itself of the L&O brand for the last few years. The idiots that wear suits buy into the L&O fatigue even though they the franchise rakes in over 500 mil + per year for the Peacock.
For example, the Motherships ratings aren't spectacular at all this year. But, the show doubles the its leads from Knight Rider & Life.
However, it is my belief that NBC's overall programming is so poor that they HAVE to renew the L&O's because what they are going to replace them with? The Chopping Block 2?
I think they're under the impression they can handily replace the shows with Leno at 10. The nets aren't about providing entertainment, they're about profit margin and they get a bigger profit from crappy "reality" TV and unscripted shows. this is how we end up with the reality show famewhores getting all the press they get and being turned into celebs.
interestingly, when CI went into first run on cable, nbc still needed to put reruns into rotation (as it has with other cable shows) to get people to watch nbc
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