A new trailer for Law & Order: Organized Crime continues to hype the return of Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler. Meloni reprised his role as Stabler in the crossover event between Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime, which took place on April 1. The episodes explained how Stabler would reenter the long-running NBC drama, showing the character reeling after the murder of his wife Kathy Stabler (Isabel Gillies). Kathy’s death, as the result of a car bomb attack, ends up being the driving force of Organized Crime.
The premiere episode of the SVU spinoff, titled “Puglia”, picks up the story and introduces the primary characters that Stabler will be interacting with. Unlike other Law & Order shows, which are much more standalone and episodic, Organized Crime will have a more serialized quality. It will focus on a single storyline, slated to unfold over the course of the season. That gives particular significance to the likes of Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott), as the show’s antagonist, and Stabler’s boss Sgt. Ayanna Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt). Both characters are highlighted in a new trailer.
The trailer, from the YouTube channel for Law & Order, begins by recapping the circumstances that led to Stabler’s return, before teasing some of the scenes that fans can expect to see in Organized Crime. Among those scenes, the preview offers a glimpse of Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) expressing concern to her former partner. You can check it below.
The sneak peek reaffirms the ways in which Meloni’s spinoff differs from other entries in the Law & Order franchise. “Puglia” quickly makes this clear, as even though McDermott’s character is clearly set up as the villain, he abhors his father’s racism. On the flipside, even though Stabler is the spinoff’s protagonist, he’s routinely called out for his use of excessive force and his privileged status as a white police officer. It speaks to how views of policing and law enforcement have radically shifted since the days when Stabler and Benson partnered together. It’s a shift that Organized Crime promises to grapple with.
It also speaks, specifically, to how Meloni and Hargitay differ from other characters that have previously led Law & Order shows. The franchise is known for being focused on its cases of the week, rarely offering much insight into the lives of the main characters. By contrast, viewers have grown quite emotionally invested in the relationship between Benson and Stabler, an investment that’s reflected in the ratings jump for the crossover event between SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime. More than eight million viewers tuned in to watch Stabler’s return, giving the franchise its highest ratings in over four years. With more crossovers and revelations planned, the story is far from over.
Source: Law & Order