NBC Cuts Law & Order: Organized Crime From Its Schedule, but There Is a Twist

Summary:

• Law & Order: Organized Crime is the newest of all Law & Order spin-offs, as it has only been on the air for 4 seasons.
• However, the show took the longest to be renewed by the studio for its 5th season.
• Nevertheless, Organized Crime will not return to NBC, but will become a Peacock- exclusive streaming show.

One of the main reasons why people continue to watch the Law & Order franchise is because of beloved characters that viewers simply cannot let go of. Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler, who started his journey in the 90s on SVU and returned much later to lead the organized crime unit, is definitely one of those characters.

However, neither the love for the character nor the ‘will they/won't they’ dynamic that the writers have teased between Stabler and his former partner Olivia Benson is enough to keep viewership at the same level it once was. And that prompted NBC to take action.

Is Law & Order: Organized Crime Canceled?

While Law & Order, the original series, and its longest-running spin-off, Special Victims Unit, were renewed for consecutive seasons long ago, Organized Crime's fate remained a mystery. Naturally, fans were surprised to see the newest show fall behind, but NBC kept everyone in the dark.

In the end, the news the network shared is relatively good: the show will get its 5th season after all. The only problem is that it won't be returning to its usual place in NBC's primetime schedule. Instead, the procedural will move to the Peacock and become the streamer's exclusive series.

Law & Order: Organized Crime isn't the first show NBC has moved to streaming, just as it isn't the first Law & Order show to move elsewhere. Back in 2007, Law & Order: Criminal Intent faced declining ratings and was moved from NBC to the USA Network, where it ran for another 4 seasons.

Another similar cut happened to NBC's daytime hit Days of Our Lives. The soap opera, which had been on the network since 1965, also fell victim to poor ratings, leading the network to push for it to become a Peacock exclusive in 2022. Though many feared that meant the show was on its way out, that wasn't the case.

So while the move is most likely an indicator of declining ratings, it doesn't mean that Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 will be the last you see of the team. The show still has many stories to tell, and the move may allow the creators to focus more on the writing and less on the shocking scenes to keep the ratings up.

For now, Law & Order: Organized Crime is available to watch on NBC. Tune in on Friday, May 16, to not miss a season 4 finale titled Stabler’s Lament.