Will Mariska Hargitay And Chris Meloni's Law And Order: SVU Characters Ever Date?

Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni stopped by the "Today" show on September 23 to promote Season 23 of "Law and Order: SVU" and Season 2 of "Law and Order: Organized Crime," but the spotlight was on their characters Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler!

All the hosts wanted to know was if Hargitay and Meloni's characters would date, but the answer might disappoint fans. "We're still finding our way, but it's complex and real, but what I love about it most is that it's earned. This relationship is truly earned and not a lot of people have a 23-year relationship on film," Hargitay said. Earlier in the interview, "Today" personality Craig Melvin mentioned Stabler saying "I love you" to Benson at the end of Season 1 of "Organized Crime," prompting many to wonder about a possible romance.

Meloni revealed that the sentiment was almost like a reaction. "I was under emotional duress," he explained of the character. "Yeah, I did. But you know, that was only because I was saying it in the midst of an intervention. My family was coming together with the help of Olivia Benson for an intervention that one of my daughters ... said 'I love you,' but I was looking at Mariska. How could you not? It comes naturally." Has the chemistry between these two always been this electric? Keep reading for more details.

As mentioned, on September 23, Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni appeared on the "Today" show to promote the new seasons of "Law and Order: SVU" and "Law and Order: Organized Crime" and their chemistry was on full display.

When Carson Daly asked if their chemistry was like this when they screen tested for "SVU," Meloni looked at Hargitay and said, "Immediately, right?" She felt the same, adding, "It was an instant, instantaneous connection that is inexplicable, that has only grown, and I look at it as a gift but the second we met it was like —" She gestured with her hands and made an explosive sound, basically saying they were an instant match.

As for dating in real life? It never happened, according to Hargitay. "We met at the screen test," she said. "When I walked in, I scanned it and said, 'That's the guy' ... There's so much love and there's so much trust and there's so much ease and there's so much chemistry and the gift of it is that it has truly stood the test of time." We hope Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler have a change of heart on this season of "SVU"!