Summary
Law & Order: Organized Crime’s move to Peacock for season 5 could make it more difficult for Benson and Stabler to reunite romantically. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) was originally Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay)’s partner onLaw & Order: SVU,and when Stabler returned after a decade’s absence to star in his own spinoff, it sparked hope that the characters would begin a romance. Although the pair has had several intimate moments, no romance has materialized thus far, andLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 4 did not include any meaningful interactions between Benson and Stabler.
Law & Order: Organized Crime’s futurewas in doubt when NBC failed to renew italong with its sister shows in March 2024, triggering fears that the series would be canceled without resolving the Benson/Stabler subplot. However, NBC later announced that the serieswas moving to Peacock instead of airing on broadcast television. ThisLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5 updatemeant the series would continue; however,it has far fewer episodes in the season than the other twoLaw & Ordershows, which could lead to logistical problemsas far as crossovers go.
Original SVU Character Saves Stabler In Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4 Episode 7 Trailer
NBC releases the trailer for Law & Order: Organized Crime season 4, episode 7, and shows how an original SVU character is key to saving Stabler.
Law & Order Crossovers May Be Difficult To Pull Off After Law & Order: Organized Crime’s Move to Peacock
The Series' Schedule is In Flux, Making Planning Hard
Mariska Hargitay recently said (viaVariety) that a Benson/Stabler reunion is in the works. However, this idea may be harder to pull off than it seems now thatLaw & Order: Organized Crimehas moved to Peacock. While NBC owns Peacock, which theoretically makes crossover appearances between streaming and broadcast shows possible, these cameos are still dependent on actors' schedules and budgetary concerns, and until more is known about the plans forLaw & Order: Organized Crime’s production and release, it will be difficult to make the reunion happen.
Law & Order: SVUwill premiere in the fall, with a full 22-episode season. Conversely,Law & Order: Organized Crime’sreduced episode countafter the move leaves it with only 10 episodes. While this could leave the actors involved in this series with more time to cross over to other entries in the franchise, it’s hard to tell whether this will be the case.Peacock has not yet released any information about whenLaw & Order: Organized Crimewill premiere or how the schedule intersects with the broadcast schedule forLaw & Order: SVU,which factors into crossover planning.
A Romantic Connection Between Benson & Stabler Could Ruin A Good Thing
The Pair Has Been Connected as Friends for Two Decades
Although there is a segment of the fanbase that is passionately in favor of a Benson/Stabler romance, it might not be the best idea for these characters.
Although there is a segment of the fanbase that is passionately in favor of a Benson/Stabler romance, it might not be the best idea for these characters. Stabler and Benson have been friends for a long time, not counting Stabler’s ten-year-absence when he was off-screen.For most of their friendship, Stabler was married, and Benson reassured Kathy Stabler on many occasions that she was not a threat to their marriage and encouraged Elliot to give his relationship the attention it deservedbefore he lost it. Uniting Benson and Stabler romantically could contradict this history.
Long-standing friendships don’t always make for good romances, andLaw & Order: Organized Crimewould take a heavy loss if the romance failed and the characters lost their friendship. It may be logistically difficult for Benson and Stabler to share screen time now that they have to deal with both Peacock and NBC, but that may be for the best. Regardless of how good an idea it seems on paper to unite these two characters romantically, it could be a flop and harm the friendship the characters have built up over many years.
Law & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5 will stream on Peacock, which already hosts all of its previous seasons.
Law & Order: Organized Crime
Cast
Law & Order: Organized Crime follows the detectives of the Organized Crime Control Bureau as they strive to dismantle New York City’s most vicious and violent illegal enterprises, providing a deep dive into the complex and intricate world of organized crime. Released on August 20, 2025, it extends the Law & Order franchise.
