Law & Order: Organized Crime season 2 premiere date, cast, trailer, more

What do we know so far about Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2? Let’s take a look and see what our detectives have managed to dig up.

There’s something special about the way Christopher Meloni made his way back to the Law & Order universe. And it’s not just  that it’s meant getting to see his dynamic with SVU star Mariska Hargitay again.

The first season of Law & Order: Organized Crime did something that its Thursday night partner-in-crime hasn’t done: Its entire run was focused on a single case, with a deliciously developed Big Bad. This has simultaneously been frustrating and refreshing.

We’re so used to an easy wrap-up by the end our TV hour that we’re a bit desperate for some closure, but it’s also really nice to get to dig a little deeper. Besides, nobody wants to see the last of Dylan McDermott’s character anytime soon…do they?

When does Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 premiere

After Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, we’re more than ready for any scoop, whatsoever, on Season 2. Welcome to your one-stop shop for updates.

So far, the biggest news out of the Law & Order universe has been NBC finally releasing the premiere dates. Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 will premiere on Thursday, September 23 at 10/9c after a two-hour SVU premiere.

And make sure to mark this one down, too: Episode 2 will air an hour early at 9/8c on September 30. Why? We’re getting treated to two hours with the Organized Crime Task Force that night.

For those of you who aren’t great with the arithmetic, that means the first two weeks of the Fall 2021 season are treating viewers of the combined Law & Order universe to a grand total of six hours worth of…something. What that “something” is, we don’t yet know.

(Insert “so excited, so scared” gif here.)

Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 cast

Given the way both Organized Crime and SVU ended last season, the only thing that could keep Mariska Hargitay from showing up as a special guest star in Organized Crime Season 2 would be some kind of disaster. So, let’s join Melissa McCarthy in “PRAYING” (all caps, gang) for a recovery from the latest injury, and uh…hit the share button if you’re praying for no more setbacks.

Ok. Now that that’s out of the way. Here are the sure bets for the cast, starting with the most obvious:

• Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
• Danielle Moné Truitt as Sergeant Ayanna Bell
• Dylan McDermott as Richard Wheatley
• Ainsley Seiger as Jet “Sloot” Slootmaekers
• Ben Chase as Freddie Washburn
• Nick Creegan as Richard Wheatley, Jr. (also known as Richie)

We can also confirm the presence of some new faces to enter Detective Stabler’s world:

• Ron Cephas Jones as Congressman Leon Kilbride
• Vinnie Jones as Albi Briscu

When Deadline reported this new casting news, they described Cephas Jones’ character as “a born politician who fosters connections and always plays his cards right.” Given the number of corrupt politicians in the real world, could the beloved This Is Us actor be set to play one of the many villains in Elliot Stabler’s world?

Briscu sounds like a definite bad guy, but Law & Order: Organized Crime has been known to surprise us before, even during its short first season. So, we shall see.

Stabler family reunion: Ellen Burstyn is officially returning as Bernie Stabler. Remember when she told Olivia she understood why she scared the pants off Kathy? Well, Kathy’s no longer in the picture, so maybe Mr. Looked Cute As A Carrot will get the some motherly advice that pushes him in the right direction. Or maybe she’ll just be there to support her grieving son. Either way, it’s really exciting to know Mama Stabler is going to make an appearance in Organized Crime Season 2.

If we absolutely had to guess, we’d probably also say we’ll see some of the Stabler kids again at some point. If Eli moves back in with Daddy, we might get to see a bit more of Nicky Torchia.

Another visit from Kathleen (Allison Siko) wouldn’t exactly be a big shocker either. Not only did Kathleen help arrange for the “I love you” intervention, but she always at least felt like the most visible of Elliot Stabler’s five children back in the day.

Will Tamara Taylor return as Angela Wheatley, though? If so, for how long? That one’s definitely still very much up in the air. Can’t wait for all of our theories to turn out to be way off, though.

Here’s one Season 1 cast member viewers probably won’t see unless they drag him back for the Season 2 premiere just to have him pose as a dead body. (Or, well, he could also appear in flashbacks, explaining what got us here? But doubtful.)

Michael Rivera likely won’t return Detective Morales. If you’ll recall, Bell shot him somewhere between “El” and “I need help!”

Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 trailer

As soon as we have new footage of any kind, including a Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 trailer, we’ll share them here. You can also check out some of the videos the official YouTube channel has been adding during the hiatus.

One of our favorites is “The Evolution of Elliot Stabler” (watch above). What’s our other favorite? Let’s just say it plays more like a trailer for Law & Order: Bensler Unit than from either of the two shows it’s supposedly about…

We’re just happy to see Meloni back for as long as he’ll have us. Detective Stabler, please never abandon us—and definitely don’t do that to “gurlfren“—ever again! (No, but really, what even was that tweet?)

Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 will air on Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC this fall.