Mariska Hargitay sent Law & Order: SVU viewers into a tailspin on Friday when she shared news about the future of the show.
Taking to Instagram, the star of the long-running NBC drama posted a photo of herself along with a telling caption.
In the image, Mariska was holding a glass of champagne and she wrote: "Here’s to season 27!! WHAAA??? #CHEERS LFG!"
Fans were overjoyed to hear that the show had been renewed for another season and immediately commented.
Mariska was inundated with congratulations and plenty of relief from die-hard Law & Order fans who had been concerned after season 26 wrapped filming.
There has also been uncertainty since it was confirmed that two characters, Octavio Pisano and Juliana Martinez would not be returning as series regulars if it were to be picked up for a 27th season.
© InstagramOctavio, 38, has been on the long-running show since season 23, portraying former undercover detective Joe Velasco.
Juliana, 34, is the newest face on the show, joining the Special Victims Unit as Detective Kate Silva, who was a homicide detective in the Brooklyn Homicide Unit before becoming a member of Captain Olivia Benson's squad.
SVU will continue its record as the longest-running drama in American primetime history.
© GC ImagesMariska reflected on her 25-year run on the show in an interview with Backstage.com last year.
She confessed she felt a sense of freedom in playing the same character for a quarter of a century.
"I don't have to prove who Olivia Benson is. We know who she is," she said.
© GC ImagesMariska said the character fits her like a glove. "It’s almost Pavlovian," she admitted. "Now, when I start to put on my outfit, I feel a different posture, a different gait, a different facial expression, a certain walk with purpose and authority."
Mariska loves the collaboration with her co-stars too and added: "It’s very beautiful to be part of an acting team, because you think it’s a solo thing, but it’s not. It's a complete melding of the actors."
