Law and Order: Organized Crime season 5 won't premiere in October 2024: What to know about the new season

Law and Order Thursdays are back on NBC! However, fans can't count on a three hour block to enjoy. As you'll note from the network's schedule, Law and Order: Organized Crime is a glaring absence. In its place is Found season 2 which does promise to be a chilling ride now that Sir is on the loose and is holding Lacey hostage. But that doesn't change the fact that Stabler isn't joining Nicholas Baxter and Olivia Benson on broadcast this fall. In fact, he and his team won't be on the roster at all.

This isn't because of a delay that's pushed the program to the 2025-2026 television year. And, no, it hasn't been canceled. NBCUniversal is bringing the show back for a fifth season. It just won't happen on network TV. The series is making the hop to streaming!

Law and Order: Organized Crime has moved to Peacock

That's right, Law and Order: Organized Crime is set to transition to being a Peacock original. While I wouldn't rule out the season 5 premiere airing on NBC at some point, perhaps even on release day, you can't count on the procedural airing the whole season on broadcast. It'll be a streaming exclusive.

The move was a strategic one. The Christopher Meloni-led drama did well in its streaming second window. Likely because of its 10 p.m. ET time slot, a sizeable portion of its audience was waiting until the next day to watch new episodes or perhaps even saving them for the weekend.

Jeff Bader, President of Program Planning Strategy at NBCUniversal Entertainment, explained the companies reasoning in an interview with TVLine and dispelled any idea that the series was struggling.

"Organized Crime is a VERY successful show; this isn’t a show that was on the bubble. It’s a show that works across the board, and it’s very, very strong on streaming. [Moving season 5 to Peacock] is a win-win for us — 80% of its viewing isn’t in the time period where we schedule it, it’s delayed on Peacock, so it just made sense to move that to free up the time period."

Law and Order: Organized Crime becoming a streaming original, however, does mean viewers can likely expect a content shift. As we saw with the likes of Evil and SEAL Team when they hopped from CBS to Paramount+, series tend to get grittier, edgier, and more profanity laden once they've left broadcast land for the less stringent world of streaming.

While that doesn't necessarily have to be the case with this program, it is a cop drama and the team behind the show may want to lean into a less network TV friendly approach to their storytelling.

Season 5 doesn't have a premiere date

The show's sibling series start airing their new seasons on Thursday, Oct. 3 but Stabler likely won't be back fighting crime on your screen this fall. A premiere date has yet to be announced and there's been no word on when filming will commence. However, we can share that Meloni is writing episode 2 of season 5 and Benson-Stabler shippers won't want to miss it!

Olivia Benson will be in Law and Order: Organized Crime season 5

Finally, these two are going to be reunited on-screen! Meloni confirmed Mariska Hargitay's appearance in an interview with People. What's most intriguing is that the actor is going to be the architect of their reunion. While he wouldn't divulge what viewers can expect from Benson's crossover, he did tease the following:

"I'm going to have an opportunity to... I don't know. I'll tell you what. Hopefully, uncover, peel away a little bit more of the onion or uncover a little more depth of feeling between them."

That's exciting news since the pair have been a long running "will they-won't they" duo for years. Now, that's not to say that they'll make the kind of progress that establishes them as a couple but, hey, both Meloni and Hargitay are ready to pull the trigger on this romance everyone's been waiting for so perhaps whatever does happen in episode 2 will lay they groundwork for them to become an undeniably canon romance in the franchise.

While the plot of season 5 hasn't been disclosed, we do know what the next installment of the series is going to focus on based on the season 4 finale.

Season 4 finale ending explained

"Stabler's Lament" ended on a cliffhanger. Joe, working as a mole for the Organized Crime Control Bureau (OCCB), had boarded a plane with Emery after a shootout with the officers that saw one of his men killed while the other was arrested. They made their escape but Joe found himself in a pickle.

Emery "promoted" him, making him the delivery boy for the Soviet-era chemical weapon that he's selling that can, when activated, cause a mass casualty event. He was also aware that someone had tipped off the feds and plans on rooting out the traitor in their ranks. Handcuffed to the weapon via his wrist, Joe is in dire straits and that's where season 5 will have to pick up.

Cast

Expected to return:

• Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler
• Danielle Moné Truitt as Sergeant Ayanna Bell
• Ainsley Seiger as Det. Jet Slootmaekers
• Rick Gonzalez as Det. Detective Bobby Reyes
• Nicky Torchia as Elliot "Eli" Stabler Jr.
• Michael Trotter as Joseph "Joey" Stabler Jr.
• Dean Norris as Randall Stabler - promoted to series regular
• Tom Payne as Julian Emery

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio has joined season 5 in a role that's being kept mostly under wraps. Deadline reports that the actress is playing Isabella Spezzano, a woman from Stabler's past.

We'll keep you posted as news comes in about Law and Order: Organized Crime season 5. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover and follow us on social media for more content (Facebook/X)!