Mariska Hargitay Saddened by Christopher Meloni's 'Law & Order: SVU' Departure

Mariska Hargitay is taking the news hard that she'll be moving on without her 13-year "LAW & ORDER: SVU" co-lead Christopher Meloni, says The Hollywood Reporter.

It was made official this past week that Meloni will leave the show this season after contract negotiations couldn't yield a new deal. Since 1999, Meloni and Hargitay have anchored the "LAW & ORDER" police procedural spin-off drama as lead Manhattan Special Victims Unit detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson.

"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," Hargitay said to TV Line.

Hargitay has also announced that she'll be scaling back her own role to a part-time one. NBC execs have noted that the show will see a "reset" tone with new show-runner Warren Leight on board replacing Neal Baer. NBC entertainment chief Robert Greenblett explained that storylines will still be compelling but "more grounded," without explaining in much detail what that means.

It's a sad day, to be certain. "Law & Order"-branded shows have always thrived well despite revolving-door casts, but the same can't be said for every great show. "Cheers" had it both ways. The show ironically enjoyed its greatest success after losing original cast member Shelley Long to a film career and replacing her with Kirstie Alley, but when Ted "Sam Malone" Danson - the series' focal character - decided he was done, producers decided the show was finished as well.