Law & Order: Organized Crime is done and Christopher Meloni is hinting this could be the end of Elliot Stabler, too!
The cancellation of Law & Order: Organized Crime wasn’t too big a surprise. The show hadn’t been a huge ratings winner in its four seasons on NBC, which was a key reason it was moved to Peacock for its fifth season. That did air later on NBC, but given it’s been a year without news, its end was expected.
Naturally, star Christopher Meloni reacted to the news with an Instagram video. The emotional talk by Meloni made it sound like this may be the end of his long run as this character.
“Hey, everyone. I just saw that they announced OC, Organized Crime, won’t be coming back. So I want to take this moment to say thank you to the fans who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him, sticking with him, and welcoming him back… Good ride. It was a good ride. Had a great time playing him. It was a great ride. But thank you. You helped give me a career that I never dreamed of, nearly 17, 17 odd years.”
Meloni is currently attached to the Hulu series The Land, although obviously, fans are hopeful he can return to Law & Order: SVU. Yet the way he speaks, it almost sounds like he’s considering this the end of the line for Stabler, ending an amazing turn for the character.
Is this the end of Stabler?
Meloni was boosted to stardom when he debuted as Elliot Stabler in the premiere of Law & Order: SVU in 1999. The hot-tempered former soldier was dedicated to the job even as he handled his complex family dynamics.
Meloni shocked fans by leaving the show after its 12th season in 2011. A decade later, he returned in the new Organized Crime spinoff with Stabler now part of a special NYPD unit tackling various criminal cartels. The show differed from other Law & Order series in being more about Stabler’s personal life and serialized storytelling with plot arcs stretching over half a season.
OC did have a few crossovers with SVU that played on the long-simmering romantic tension between Stabler and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). Fans would love to see that paid off, but bringing Stabler back to SVU would create budget issues due to Meloni’s high salary. That may necessitate cutting another cast member or two loose or fewer episodes for players like ICe-T.
Yet the way Meloni talks in the video makes it sound like he’s truly ready to leave Stabler behind. It was a great role for him, as all told, he played it for 17 years, a rarity for modern television. Perhaps the show’s cancellation frees Meloni to move on to other parts with his new show. It may also be better to imagine Stabler still at the job rather than any real conclusion to his arc.
Of course, Meloni seemed to quit Stabler for good before, only to return. So the door is open for another comeback as Law & Order fans are eager to see him back on the job in some way.
Law & Order: Organized Crime is streaming on Peacock.
Add us as a preferred source on Google