It May Be Impossible For Stabler To Return To Working For SVU Even If Organized Crime Gets Canceled

Regardless of what happens in Law & Order: Organized Crime going back to Law & Order: SVU may never happen for Elliot Stabler. Beginning with the aftermath of the death of his wife, Kathy (Isabel Gillies), it have navigated through the turbulent, violent realities of Stabler’s work with the Organized Crime Control Bureau as well as issues in his personal life.

While Law & Order: Organized Crime awaits news on its renewal for season 6, Stabler could have the opportunity to return as a regular cast member in Law & Order: SVU. Based on the events of Organized Crime, it’s impossible to imagine a scenario where Stabler returns to SVU in a way that makes sense.

Stabler Has Changed During His Time On Law & Order: Organized Crime

Personal Tragedies And Work Trauma Have Changed Him Permanently

When we last saw Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU as a series regular, he was reeling from a shooting inside the precinct that saw him take the life of a teenage girl after she shot and killed Sister Peg and two suspects in her mother’s murder.

After returning stateside, he joins the Organized Crime Control Bureau, chasing major kingpin figures like major Law & Order: Organized Crime villain Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott), Preston Webb (Mykelti Williamson), as well as groups like The Collective and The Camorra.

On top of his often violent and life-threatening work with the OCCB, Stabler’s experienced a significant amount of personal tragedy, including the loss of both his wife, Kathy, and the death of his brother, Joe (Michael Trotter) in season 5, episode 9 of Law & Order: Organized Crime.

With so many tragedies compounded by traumas, Stabler has become a more grizzled, darker version of who he once was, creating a greater disconnect between him and the version of himself he was on SVU.

A Grizzled Stabler May No Longer Fit With The SVU

Making Choices Based On His Current Mindset May Not Sit Well With Benson

The idea of a grizzled Stabler returning to the ranks of Law & Order: SVU would likely be an easy fit back into an old routine, although the dynamics of Stabler, Benson, and the squad itself are very different.

The events of Law & Order: Organized Crime have changed Stabler as a detective and as a person, and it’s hard to imagine a scenario where he functions within the boundaries of SVU.

Benson has played an integral role in Organized Crime, helping Stabler navigate some of his personal tragedies and issues in the field. Seeing him return to a role where he reports to her while working through his own personal feelings for her would be a disadvantage to the arc of SVU as well as their character’s stories.

With these contributing factors at play, a window does exist, albeit a small one, where Stabler could integrate back to Law & Order: SVU. That said, it will likely be at a great cost to both himself and the other detectives around him in Law & Order: Organized Crime.