We're going to get to see Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler character sooner rather than later. The Law & Order: SVU alum will return for the Law & Order spin-off, Law & Order: Organized Crime, this fall.
NBC recently set its fall schedule and the spin-off is the only new series set to premiere this fall on the network after receiving a straight-to-series-order. NBC is holding off on other pilots until they can begin shooting them again as guidelines are being put in place so that productions can get back to work.
The drama features Elliot Stabler (Meloni) returning to the NYPD to battle organized crime after a devastating personal loss. Stabler was last seen at the end of season 12 of Law & Order: SVU in 2011. Meloni was the male lead opposite Mariska Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson, for SVU‘s first 12 seasons, with their characters both partners and best friends. Stabler was last seen in the season 12 finale when he was involved in a shooting at the precinct. His character was written off in the season 13 premiere, with Stabler abruptly retiring from the police force.
To launch Law & Order: Organized Crime, NBC is using the mothership series, Law & Order: SVU, which will take over the 9-10 PM portion of NBC’s two-hour comedy block. The comedy block is no more after the network canceled a slew of comedies that premiered in the fall of 2019. There is no specific fall date for the premiere although a mid-October launch is likely. NBC thinks they'll be able to get back to work in time now that they have been given guidelines to return to filming in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. NBC'S fall premieres are expected to be pushed further than the usual end of September launch.
There was some speculation that the Dick Wolf-produced police procedural might get held due to the growing protests against police brutality. The reality series' Cops and Live P.D. have both been canceled and the industry thinks the fictional police dramas will have to approach their storytelling differently now that a new lens is being put on the procedures of the police. There is a sense that presenting all of the police officers on these TV shows as brave, stalwart heroes will have to change in order to show that there are some bad apples in the bunch and that corruption within the force certainly exists. Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, who is a showrunner on CBS' S.W.A.T and one of the few African Americans to ever showrun a broadcast network TV series about police, had this to say about what might need to change and it has more to do with action rather than lip service:
"When I hear Hollywood colleagues playfully pondering whether or not we're doing enough to address the image of the hero cop that has been entrenched as a procedural staple, the answer is clear: hell f*cking no! There's a ton of work we still have to do. The question is, how sincere will we be about putting in that work? Right now, individuals and corporations are offering lip service to preserve business, using statements to indicate support for black people. The real test, as always, is: what actions will we see?"
Mega-producer Dick Wolf is the man behind Chicago P.D., Law & Order: SVU and the upcoming spin-off, Law & Order: Organized Crime. He also oversees FBI & FBI: Most Wanted on CBS so he likely has a lot of work to do moving forward to make sure these shows get all of this right in the current climate we're in. That being said, I'm sure fans of SVU are excited that Meloni is returning to a role that was a staple for 12 seasons and they won't have to wait all that long to see him again. As the producers, writers and showrunners iron out the details on how to make police procedurals work, at least fans will get to spend time with a familiar face.
Will YOU be watching Law & Order: Organized Crime?