Christopher Meloni's return to the Law & Order family in the Law & Order: SVU crossover-event that launched his new show, Law & Order: Organized crime, scored big ratings for NBC Thursday night. 

The long-anticipated reunion of Meloni's Elliot Stabler and his former partner, Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson attracted an average live -- meaning not on DVR -- audience of 7.6 million, according to Nielsen numbers quoted by Variety. The viewership was nearly double the usual audience for SVU. The crossover began during SVU's 9 p.m. time slot, then led into the 10 p.m. hour with L&O: OC.