The long-awaited new program in Dick Wolf’s Law & Order franchise stars Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler. “Law & Order: Organized Crime” is set to air in a two-episode crossover event with “Special Victims Unit” on April 1, 2021.
Meloni’s character resigned from the NYPD during Season 12 Episode 24 — “Smoked.” After seeing Stabler for 12 years, fans were saddened to learn he “put in his [retirement] papers.” When the announcement was made he would return to the Law & Order franchise in March 2020, fans eagerly awaited the premiere date.
Nearly 13 months later, “L&O: Organized Crime” will air after Season 22 Episode 9 of “SVU” airs. In “Return of the Prodigal Son,” “the squad rallies around Det. Stabler to find the suspect behind a threat to his family,” according to IMDb.
Reprising their roles as Stabler’s family members are Isabel Gillies as his wife Kathy, Jeffery Scaperrotta as his son Dickie, and Allison Siko as his daughter Kathleen.
Stabler is reunited with Cap. Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay. Alyssa Ray for E! Online writes: “Someone may need to call a bus for us because we are more than excited!”
While Wolf and the L&O team have kept tight lips about the storyline for the first episode of “Organized Crime,” the “SVU” plot reveals a devastating personal loss for the detective.
NBC’s synopsis for the new program explains that New York and the police department have experienced dramatic changes during his 10-year absence. Part of his struggle will include adapting to the evolved criminal justice system while handling his loss.
Throughout the series, which currently includes six episodes, viewers will see Stabler’s journey rebuilding his life while leading the “new elite task force that is taking apart the city’s most powerful criminal syndicates one by one.”
Joining Meloni in his new role is Danielle Moné Truitt as Ayanna Bell, Michael Rivera as Michael Rivera, and without character names, Dylan McDermott, Tamara Taylor, Ainsley Seiger. Hargitay will be in the first two episodes.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
NBC: L&O: SVU “Return of the Prodigal Son” Episode 22007
IMDb: L&O: SVU Return of the Prodigal Son
E! Online: Everything You Need to Know About Elliot Stabler and Law & Order: Organized Crime; by Alyssa Ray
Images Courtesy of NBC|Universal Media Village – Used With Permission
