Contains spoilers for Law & Order: SVU & OCSince its mid-year 2021 release, Law & Order: Organized Crime (OC) has rapidly grown in popularity among the standard 18-47-year-old demographic. Fresh off the heels of the highly acclaimed Special Victims Unit (SVU) series, Organized Crime follows Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) as he returns to The New York Police Department, with his intentions set on tracking down the most elaborate organized crime rings. Still reeling from the loss of his wife, Kathleen Stabler (Isabel Gates), Elliot battles a series of internal traumas as he struggles to take care of his family, intentionally burying himself into his work and neglecting his overall responsibilities as a father and son.
The series has brought in a solid viewership, with an average of three million viewers on a rolling weekly basis. However, a split number of die-hard fans have expressed mixed reviews regarding the SVU spin-off, some completely disconnecting from the dark persona of Elliot Stabler, foreign to his previous character with the franchise. A wider array of fans, on the other hand, are excited to have their prodigal son return to the network long after his initial exit years prior. Here's where Organized Crime ranks among the existing Law & Order series.
Story Arch & Ties to SVU
It all started with Detective Elliot Stabler's much-anticipated return to the Law & Order universe, as he guest-starred in the ninth episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's twenty-second season, titled "Return of the Prodigal Son." In the episode, Stabler reunites with his former partner, Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), telling her that someone had bombed his rental car, with his wife inside, while in route to surprise Olivia at her award ceremony that night. Viewers later find that ten years prior, after Stabler resigned from SVU, he lived in Italy with his family, working as an NYPD liaison, specializing in organized crime.
Waiting in the emergency room for further news on Kathy's health status, Stabler discloses to Benson he believes the same mobsters he's been investigating, while in Rome, were responsible for the bombing. Despite news of Kathy's condition being stable, she dies days after as a result of a ruptured liver during surgery.
Not only does this episode reintroduce fans to Elliot, but it additionally leads into the new series Law & Order: Organized Crime, where he is also the show's main protagonist. In the first episode of Organized Crime,"What Happens in Puglia," viewers instantly see a dark and ominous Elliot. As fans view Elliot interacting with the other characters mentally, it's as if his soul has been ripped out from him, and he's not the Elliot we all once knew. Of course, losing his wife is devastating, but from his actions and how he pushes those closest to him away, viewers find it difficult to root for him most of the time.
Each story shifts drastically in both seasons of the series, extensively detailing one specific ring of criminals. During season one, we are introduced to Richard Wheatley, a witty businessman and powerful New York crime boss, who instantaneously becomes the arch-nemesis to Elliot Stabler, also playing a significant role in conspiring to kill Kathleen Stabler. Then in season two, Stabler goes deep undercover as an ex-con, Eddie "Ashes" Wagner, within the Albanian mob as they aim to take over New York City's cocaine and human trafficking ring.
Where Does OC Stand Among Its Law & Order Counterparts
One of the most interesting aspects of Organized Crime is the way in which stories are told. In various other Law & Order series, each week revolves around a new case. OC, on the other hand, focuses on one individual case for a series of episodes, with a great deal of character development. It's fun as a viewer to see detectives that have been on this show for years finally become more humanized throughout the depiction of their lives away from the office.
We see Elliot interacting with his adult children and mother, Bernadette Stabler (née McGinley), who struggles with bipolar disorder. Watching the story evolution behind Stabler's family and how they deal with his often disconnect from them (most likely because his family reminds him of the pain connected to his late wife) is something that most people who have lost a loved one can probably identify with. Elliot's fellow partner and Sergeant, Ayanna Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt), also has an immersive story. When she's not leading The Organized Crime Task Force, Bell is navigating her home life with wife Denise Bullock (Keren Dukes), as the two raise a newborn.
In all, Law & Order: Organized Crime possesses no problems in standing on its own as an original program. It's a distinctive and unconventional storytelling format, differing from Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. The steady influx of weekly viewership indicates how it does indeed work to take a chance on deep diving into stories.