NBC Renewal Twist: Which Law & Order Series Did Not Get a Full Season Order?
In Dick Wolf’s criminal justice system, not all renewals are created equal.
Whereas Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU have secured 22-episode pickups (for Seasons 23 and 25, respectively), an NBC rep confirms to TVLine that Season 4 of Christopher Meloni’s Organized Crime will consist of just 13 episodes.
According to a source, Organized Crime producers have very specific plans for next season, which are best accomplished with a reduced order.
Organized Crime — led by Meloni, reprising his SVU role as Elliot Stabler — premiered in April 2021, and has already cycled through five (yes, five!) showrunners. Original series boss Matt Olmstead was replaced by Ilene Chaiken before the spinoff made it to air, while Chaiken was replaced by Barry O’Brien midway through Season 2. O’Brien was succeeded by Bryan Goluboff, who lasted three months, before Sean Jablonski was appointed showrunner No. 4. He left in mid-March over “creative differences,” at which point current SVU boss David Graziano was brought on to oversee the final three episodes of Season 3.
Law & Order: OC currently airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC, with new episodes resuming on April 26. Variety was the first to report the series’ reduced order.
How are you feeling about the Stabler-centric Law & Order: Organized Crime? Do you think the limited number of episodes will benefit the show creatively? Sound off in Comments.
i hope the season is reduced because you are going to bring christopher meloni back with mariska hargitay on organized crime suv. they are great together. he never should have left the show. BRING THEM BACK TOGETHER
Not going to happen.
– Logistics-wise you can’t have both of their salaries.
– Storyline-wise, there is no way they would let Stabler back in a role like that given his history of abuse in his career. It also would not be the reunion you want is Olivia is in charge so it would be Stabler and one of the new ones out in the field.
Not to mention that having the Capitan (Olivia) dating a subordinate (Elliot) would be very problematic in terms of sexual consent in the real world. On a show that tries to address those sort of topics through fiction it would be a complete and hard no.
Except that it is fiction – not real life. LOL Anything can happen.
Exactly!!
TOTALLY AGREE!!
STABLER AND HARGITAY ROCK!!
LOVE ALL WOLF SHOWS
I would rather have less episodes and a better story than a bloated season with a watered down story. Here’s to hoping it’s a good season!
Nicely stated. I agree. That goes for all TV shows
Does it really matter? He’ll spend the majority of the episode’s undercover! What else can you do with it! Most of the stories don’t really involve Organized Crime- do they?
When his whole family was dismissed, what’s left of him!
Only my opinion: I don’t watch it anymore! If he gets a promotion after 30 years I’ll watch!
I think you need to look up the definition of organized crime, because I can’t think of any stories that WEREN’T organized-crime related… even the shorter arcs. It’s not all about the mafia!
“Most of the stories don’t really involve Organized Crime- do they?”
They absolutely do involve it. You’re seemingly misinformed about what Organized Crime involves. With that said, I totally understand why you dislike the show.
There was the Brotherhood Arc- (rotten police), okay I guess the Albanian arc was organized crime, the most recent arc seemed to be about trafficking! Didn’t bother with the casino story! But I get get it. Im a native NY’r kinda used to the mafia!
Gangs (incl. Chinese, in the trafficking 2-parter) are also organized crime, as is the Irish-led mob. It’s not only “Mafia.” (I too am a native NY-er).
I don’t like the idea of a reduced season for OC. I hope it doesnt mean it’s on it’s way to being cancelled.
Need more, not less Stabler and the Captain. Also love the budding story line of a relationship for her. These people just work. They need lives and loves outside of the job. Great Cast. Also can’t go wrong with Captain Benson/Stabler episode just for the heat even if no fire.
I don’t like it but it’s not my call. NBC has been messing around with the Wolf L&O franchise since it moved to its network. Hopefully, no cancellations are in progress for any of the Wolf shows.
The Wolf L&O franchise (as is One Chicago) has ALWAYS been on NBC (L&O debuted there in the early ’90s). The only Wolf franchise that isn’t is the FBI troika on CBS.
I love all 3 L&O shows. They make my Thursday nights! Too bad OC will be a shorter season than the other 2, but I’ll keep watching. Why do they have a hard time keeping show runners for OC?
Love the show I watch all Law in Orders and please continue. I do not want a gap in the 3 shows
Not surprised. Its the weakest rating wise of the three. Wouldn’t be all that surprised if it ends after season 4.
Please give the fans a bit more information. So many fans wanted CM back for a long time. If he’s gone again I’m afraid SVU will fold too.
The serialized style of L&O: OC will likely benefit from fewer episodes… 10-13 is really plenty for a story arc.
Was coming in to say this myself. We’ve basically gotten 2 mini-seasons per season anyway, with maybe 1-3 episodes in between them as a palette cleanser that also wrapped up a loose thread from an earlier story arc. All killer, less filler.
If they were smart, they’ll merge all three shows….. have the original start the case, with svu have a twist and end it with oc going undercover to solve it….. have Carisi fall under McCoy and the Order of it try the case. Best three hours EVER!!!
That’d be a tough job for the writers – coming up with 22 3-hr interwoven episodes. But I agree the 3 L&O universes need to overlap, or at least bump into each other, a lot more. Doesn’t always have to be a Big Deal. Two minutes of air time… Carisi does seem to be out there all alone. And I LOVED seeing Bell & Benson together.
I want more I want more of episode to be made
Don’t care for Christopher and Marists being on separate shows. Don’t watch Orgsnized Crime.
Me either
“Marists?” You either meant “Mariska” or don’t know her name. People, please PROOFREAD before you hit “Post Comment” (especially if you’re using speech-to-text).
Yeah, no misspellings on TVLine!
This is Boomerette’s personal message board … we’re all just lucky to be allowed here at all
*chuckle*
This make sense to me. OC worked better with serialized story as in season 1 and 2 which will be enough for 13 episodes. Season 3 with 2-3 episode mini arcs don’t work very well for me
I agree!
I will watch the 13 episodes however It would be nice to have more. Law and order isn’t that interesting anymore. its borderline boring with all the woke agenda. So is svu. Truthfully they should consider canceling SVU in the very near future.
I’ll have to agree with you on that, SVU has lost its spark, to many character changes and the storyline are boring.
It’s funny that you think this franchise now has a woke agenda when they’ve always championed folks who are victimized and gone after scumbags.
🎯
What exactly do you mean by “woke agenda”?? All the L & Os are just fictional TV shows that take place in NYC – do you really expect the characters to be intolerant and all judgmental about people just because they’re “different” from your ideal? Not going to happen! If you’re watching these shows through a certain political lens, maybe mainstream TV shows aren’t working for you because of that. 🤷♀️ How about just being a fan and watching for enjoyment, recognizing that there’s a whole big world out there?
Less episodes = less showrunners??! 🙄
Law and Order: Organized Crime is the best of the three shows – reducing the number of episodes doesn’t make sense to me.
Fully agree!!
I agree! I’m still fuming over not getting a full season of OC. Chris Meloni is my favorite actor in the L&O franchise.
This the best law and order…before this I had stopped watching the series
On any series of 22+ episodes, some of the episodes are weaker than others.
With a well constructed 13 episodes, the series can perform well.
I’m not too fond of this particular Law and Order series. I like original and SVU much more. Do
Now if only we could get a Criminal Intent revival for the spring.
That would be great! YES PLEASE
why oh why hung up on CI??? I doubt the actors would be interested anymore…
I am not a fan of Organized Crime. I never watch it. It is very boring. Christopher Meloni was much better on SVU. Figure it out.
All that turnover in showrunners seems weird. I wonder what the issue is?
I’m a firm believer in ‘more episodes are better’ – I don’t even bother watching any of the limited flavor of the month type series. OC is great and so is Chris Meloni (on and offscreen). Ideally, Stabler will eventually return to SVU so he and Olivia can be reunited in every way. I’m an eternal EO shipper and darn proud of it!
I’m surprised organized crime has lasted as long as it has. I stopped watching in season one.
I’d like to see stabler go to work for interpol and move back to italy, Far away from benson.
As far as “on the bubble”, the only one I care about is “East New York “. The show is So good. Please find a resolution 🙏 to the problems so we can have this smart, progressive show.
Best and most realistic cop show since Bochco (Hill St. Blues, NYPD Blue) was alive & working. I like that it concentrates on one (disinvested yet starting to gentrify) neighborhood instead of bouncing all around NYC. I grew up in the 73d Precinct–Brownsville plus the western portion of ENY. (Disinvested and likely to stay that way).