Did NBC Renew Or Cancel ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Season 2?

ByJennifer Havener
Law and Order: Organized Crime/YouTube

Christopher Meloni made his long-awaited return to the Law and Order franchise during the 2020-21 TV season. Headlining his own spin-off, Meloni brought beloved detective Elliot Stabler back to NBC. Was Law and Order: Organized crime a hit or a miss? Will viewers get a second season of the mob-centric show? 

Christopher Meloni Returns as Elliot Stabler 

Viewers – and Olivia (Mariska Hargitay) – were shocked when Elliot Stable abruptly left the force at the end of Season 12. Due to contract issues, Christopher Meloni opted to leave Law and Order: SVU.

The Law and Order spin-off starred Meloni and Hargitay as partners on the police force. Olivia and Elliot were part of the unit that investigate crimes of a sexual nature. Despite the heavy content, the character’s undeniable chemistry boosted the show to must-see TV. 

So, fans were heartbroken that after 12 years of will-they-or-won’t-they, Meloni quit the show. Subsequently, Stabler quit the police force. 

Finally, after almost ten years, Christopher Meloni was ready to put his badge back on. Except he wouldn’t be returning to SVU. Rather, he would star in a new spin-off in the Law and Order NYPD universe. 

Law and Order: Organized Crime followed Elliot Stabler’s return to the NYPD. Now seeking to bring mob bosses to justice, Elliot has his sights set on Richard Wheatley. Actor Dylan McDermott (The Practice) took on the dastardly role. 

Murder, Mayhem and Mob Bosses: Law and Order: Organized Crime Season 1 Recap

Law and Order: Organized Crime kicked off with the murder via car bomb of Stabler’s wife, Kathy (Isabel Gillies.) Over the next eight episodes, Stabler vowed to find the party responsible. 

Stabler immediately thought Wheatley was responsible. The veteran detective formed a connection with Whitley’s ex-wife, Angela (Tamara Taylor.) However, he can’t ignore his feelings for Olivia. Mariska Hargitay guest-starred in several crossover episodes of Organized Crime. 

Seeing that Elliot is having a hard time with Kathy’s death, Olivia and his children held an intervention. During the intervention, Elliot finally told his former partner that he loves her. 

However, things get complicated with Angela after Wheatley outs her as the one who ordered the hit on Kathy. When confronted, Angela told Stabler that her ex-husband is the one who told her that Stabler killed her son. The truth is that Richard Wheatley is the person responsible for Angela’s son’s death. 

As a result, Angela was willing to turn state’s evidence against her ex-husband. With her information, the NYPD indicted Wheatley for mob crimes and Angela went into isolation for her protection. 

A slip-up by one of the detectives tasked with watching her almost led to Angela’s death. When poisoning her shampoo didn’t work, another attempt was made. And this time, Wheatley recruits Morales (Michael Rivera,) a member of the task force meant to bring Wheatley down. 

Stabler, Benson and Sergeant Ayanna Bell (Danielle Truitt) arrived at Angela’s bedside just as she’s overdosing from an injection from Morales. The disgraced detective commits suicide-by-cop at the hands of task force leader Sergeant Bell. 

The season ended with Angela’s life in the balance as Elliot yelled for help in the hospital corridor.

Did Angela survive the second attempt on her life? Did Law and Order: Organized Crime survive its freshmen season? 

Law and Order: Organized Crime: Canceled or Renewed?

Good news for Elliot Stabler fans. Thanks to great ratings, Law and Order: Organized Crime was granted a second season. All of the original cast will return, along with guest appearances by Mariska Hargitay, per Meaww.

Season 2 premieres on Thursday, September 23, directly after Law and Order: SVU’s Season 23 premiere. 

The first season of Organized Crime was just eight episodes. But Season 2 will see an expanded episode order of 24 episodes. 

Another Law and Order Spin-off a No-Go

Law and Order aficionados won’t get a new spin-off in the upcoming 2021 Fall TV season. In May 2020, NBC announced a straight-to-series order for Law and Order: For The Defense. However, the network had second thoughts and scrapped the project. 

Now, Organized Crime will move to the timeslot directly after SVU. NBC staple Blacklist will move from Friday to the Thursday timeslot directly before SVU. 

However, Deadline reports that NBC is still planning another Law and Order spin-off that is still in the development stages. 

Did you watch Law and Order: Organized Crime? Will you be tuning in for a second season? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Jennifer Havener
Follow me
Latest posts by Jennifer Havener (see all)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *