NBC shared the first teaser for Law and Order: Organized Crime during the Thursday night episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, showing Christopher Meloni’s first new shoot as Elliot Stabler in a decade. Meloni plays the character for the first time since he left SVU in 2011 in the new series, which shows Stabler leading his own organized crime task force. In the short clip, it looks like Stabler is apologizing to someone – possibly Benson – for being away for so long.
The 25-second ad starts with some old images of Srabler in action, before showing Stabler today, talking to someone in a bar. “Do you know how much time has passed without you being able to reach it? Days turn into months turn into years and I just kept waiting for the right moment, ”says Stabler. It’s not clear who he’s talking to, but it’s probably Olivia Benson from Mariska Hargitay.
Stabler’s excuses also refer to how Stabler simply disappeared from SVU no big goodbyes. Meloni left SVU at the end of season 12 because he did not renew his contract, and Stabler’s disappearance in season 13 was explained only by dialogue. At the end of season 12, Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) said that Stabler would have to make a psychological assessment and be investigated by internal affairs. Instead of following these requirements, Stabler just left the screen between the two seasons and never said goodbye to Benson.
Organized crime will debut on Thursday, April 1 at 10 pm ET on NBC, following a new SVU episode that reintroduces Stabler to the fold. The new series begins with Stabler returning to the New York Police Department after suffering a personal tragedy. Stabler is asked to set up a new task force to stop organized crime syndicates. Dylan McDermott, Tamara Taylor (Bones), and Danielle Moné Truitt (Rebel) will co-star. Production was reportedly halted last week after a team member tested positive for the coronavirus.
It is unclear who the other characters in the series will be, but McDermott released a surprising preview on his Instagram page earlier this week. His photo was shown in a house decorated with two large dogs. “Organized Crime,” he wrote in the caption. McDermott is a Golden Globe winner thanks to The practice. Your recent credits include Hollywood, american horror story, and LA to Vegas.