Stabler’s Cameo Proved That The 2025 Law & Order Crossover Should Have Included Organized Crime

Stabler’s short appearance in the Law and Order crossover, titled “Playing With Fire,” demonstrates that Law & Order: Organized Crime needed to be included in the multi-show crossover. The Christopher Meloni-led spinoff was the third show to air on Law & Order Thursday until recently; however, Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 is exclusive to Peacock and debuted its season premiere on the same night as the crossover episode aired.

“Playing With Fire” was one of Law & Order: SVU’s saddest episodes, as Benson (Mariska Hargitay) worked with the Homicide Unit to solve the murder of a mentee whom Benson had met when she rescued her as a child. While Law & Order: Organized Crime did not have an official episode of the crossover between the other two shows in the franchise, Stabler made a brief appearance, cornering a man in a bathroom who had attempted to kidnap Noah to scare Benson off the case.

Why Organized Crime Wasn’t Part Of Law & Order & SVU’s 2025 Crossover

NBC and Peacock have not given an official reason for excluding Law & Order: Organized Crime from the 2025 Law & Order crossover. However, the issue was most likely scheduling. Law & Order: Organized Crime was given only 10 episodes on Peacock, the first of which was scheduled to drop the same day as the crossover episodes. With such a small episode count, it is likely that Law & Order: Organized Crime wouldn’t have the room to tell the stories it needs to tell if it spent an episode on the crossover.

Additionally, Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 debuted the same night as the crossover. The series has been absent nearly a year, so its debut needed to introduce new audiences to its premise and remind older ones why they loved the show. It would have been more difficult for the season premiere to have been effective if it had been part of a special event rather than a standalone episode.

Stabler’s Cameo Proves That Organized Crime Could Have Joined The Crossover

Stabler could have been used in a better capacity than a short cameo appearance. The guy he confronted was a henchman seeking to intimidate others out of investigating or testifying against his boss, Paul Gomez; he was also seen in the courtroom, staring at a witness and scaring her into saying she couldn’t be sure the man she witnessed bothering Maria was the defendant. This case had all the markings of an organized crime case, so Stabler should have been on hand to help the police figure out how to tie Gomez to his crimes.

Additionally, Stabler’s appearance demonstrates that it is logically possible for him to appear in the other shows in the Law and Order franchise despite Law & Order: Organized Crime airing on Peacock. Thus, he could have had a bigger role in the crossover. While Stabler’s cameo was a nice surprise, he and his team should have played a major part in the crossover instead of Law & Order: Organized Crime‘s Peacock debut being a separate story that doesn’t even mention the events of the crossover.