The long wait for Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 is nearly over, and new looks at what's in store confirm that releasing on streaming doesn't mean Christopher Meloni and Co. are cut off from the NBC shows. SVU's Mariska Hargitay will appear in an early episode of Organized Crime's in the 2025 TV schedule, reuniting Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler on screen for the first time since back in May 2023. The new sneak peeks reveal the reason why, and while it's bad news for Stabler, I'm certainly excited to watch with a Peacock subscription!
The first trailer for Season 5 was packed with clues about Stabler's next undercover assignment, but no hint that Benson would be dropping by. Fans will in fact see Mariska Hargitay back on screen with Christopher Meloni in the second episode. As a treat, both the first and second episodes will begin streaming on April 17 on Peacock, with the first also airing in Organized Crime's old 10 p.m. ET time slot on NBC. Check out the newest promo, which reveals why Benson turns up:
We've seen Elliot Stabler shake off many things over the first four seasons of Organized Crime and all twelve of his seasons of SVU, but apparently being T-boned in a car – which then flips! – isn't going to be one of them. The longtime detective winds up in the hospital, and it looks like he's in rough enough shape to have the option of heading into the light.
We'll need the full context of the episode to know for sure, but some photos reveal that Benson will visit the hospital to visit her old partner/friend/possible love interest. Take a look:
Stabler is looking rough and seemingly either asleep or unconscious in that first photo, but I'm on the record as loving hospitalizations in TV dramas for the usual character development... as long as nobody actually dies, anyway. I still haven't forgotten what happened to poor Jamie Whelan! Fortunately for the Organized Crime leading man, Benson won't be the only person who cares about him at the hospital:
Danielle Moné Truitt is of course back as Sergeant Ayanna Bell, and Breaking Bad alum Dean Norris was promoted to series regular for Season 5 as Elliot's brother Randall. The first trailer also confirmed the return of Ellen Burstyn as Bernie Stabler, and I'm wondering if we'll also see any of the Stabler kids in the epsiode. It does look like we'll get more than just a cameo from Mariska Hargitay, though.
All things considered, Law & Order: Organized Crime is getting a strong launch. Since the first two episodes will release on April 17 on Peacock, fans won't have to wait into late April or May see Mariska Hargitay's guest appearance, and NBC airing the Season 5 premiere after the Law & Order two-part crossover with SVU will surely give Christopher Meloni's show a boost.
Law & Order: Organized Crime will release episodes weekly on Thursdays starting with the first two on April 17, while you can catch the other two shows crossing over on the same night, starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Organized Crime getting a special primetime slot that night at 10 p.m. ET means a week off for Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Found, but certainly a treat for any fans who have been missing Law & Order Thursdays.
