NBC threatened to can
Law and Order: SVU's bankable stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni over contract disputes, according to
Entertainment Weekly. The dynamic duo has headlined the show for 10 seasons, and while
NBC and
Law and Order mastermind Dick Wolf cut a deal for an 11th season of the show, contract negotiations hit a wall when Hargitay and Meloni banded together to up their $350K-per-episode contracts.
When Hargitay and Meloni stuck together to ask for back-end profits,
NBC execs warned that they might have to replace the pair who've played Det. Olivia Benson and Det. Elliot Stabler for a decade.
But others in the industry don't believe will take a risk replacing
SVU's stars. "I don't think in this environment, there's any chance they could re-launch the show with both of them gone," an exec from a rival network told EW. "It's a horrible time to retool a show."
Meanwhile,
NBC execs are confident the stars will accept the offer on the table.
"I can't imagine either actor walking away from over $7 million a year," said an
NBC exec.
