What Does Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 Shake-Up Mean For Christopher Meloni’s Struggling Show?

Law & Order: Organized Crime premiered in April 2021 with the highly anticipated return of Christopher Meloni’s Detective Elliot Stabler, but a big change before season 5 puts the future of the show in question. The former partner of Olivia Benson during the first twelve seasons of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit returned to New York to investigate the murder of his wife as he joined the Organized Crime task force. The series also explores Stabler’s relationship with his family, including his mother and children.

Organized Crime sets itself apart from other Law & Order shows, including the original and SVU, by focusing more on Stabler’s personal life. The multi-episode cases also give the series the cinematic feel of an action crime drama epic. Law & Order: Organized Crime will return for season 5, but this time on Peacock due to low ratings on NBC last season but stronger viewership on streaming. Matt Olmstead is also returning after another Law & Order: Organized Crime showrunner exit and it could have big implications for Meloni’s show.

Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 Brings Back Matt Olmstead As Its Showrunner

Matt Olmstead is a veteran of Wolf Entertainment, having written and produced several popular television dramas, including NYPD Blue, Prison Break, and Chicago Fire. Olmstead is also the co-creator and original showrunner of Chicago P.D. The FBI: International season 3 showrunner was originally intended to be the showrunner of Organized Crime but exited the series before it premiered since more time was required to develop the show.

Several showrunners have helmed Organized Crime during its run. Ilene Chaiken took over from Olmstead before the premiere of the first season. Barry O’Brien then took on season 2, followed by Bryan Goluboff and Sean Jablonski for the majority of season 3. SVU’s showrunner, David Graziano, then tackled the final three episodes of that season before John Shiban became showrunner for season 4. Shiban left during the production of season 5, marking Olmstead’s return overseeing the completion of the remaining episodes for the upcoming season.

The reason why Shiban left the show and Olmstead replaced him is unclear, as well as why there have been numerous showrunners since the inception of Organized Crime. However, forming a new Law & Order series is a challenge considering the popularity and reputation of its predecessors, along with the busy schedule of producers like Olmstead and Graziano, since they are also tackling other Dick Wolf shows from the One Chicago franchise, SVU, and the FBI shows.

Olmstead’s Law & Order: Organized Crime Can Be Good For Stabler’s Show

Considering that Olmstead was the original pick to be the showrunner of Organized Crime, he is the right man to complete filming of season 5 because he has an opportunity to execute part of his vision for the show, something he couldn’t do since he left before the series premiered in 2021. However, whether Olmstead will stay on as showrunner past the upcoming season is uncertain, but it is possible because the series has performed well on streaming compared to network TV, giving producers the time they need to film the show without rushing it.

Olmstead can continue to depict Stabler and his working relationship with Sergeant Ayanna Bell and the Organized Crime task force, along with tackling darker and grittier cases due to the series moving to Peacock.

Olmstead is also credited as one of the original creators of Organized Crime alongside Law & Order creator Dick Wolf, who Olmstead has a distinguished track record of working with on several of his shows. Reminiscent of Organized Crime, Olmstead is responsible for producing the first three seasons of Chicago P.D. and the third season of FBI: International, two shows that also successfully depict highly trained police units with expertise in combat, crime-solving, and tech-savvy skills in a gritty crime drama setting. Olmstead can continue to depict Stabler and his working relationship with Sergeant Ayanna Bell and the Organized Crime task force, along with tackling darker and grittier cases due to the series moving to Peacock.

Why It’s Been So Difficult To Establish Law & Order: Organized Crime

The fact that there have been various showrunners underlines the challenges of producing Organized Crime. It is a difficult show to create each season because it departs from other typical police procedurals in terms of its more personal touch on Stabler’s story and the heavy multi-episode cases. It is also a challenge to make the series as fresh as possible due to the viewing competition it faces with other Dick Wolf productions, including the primary Law & Order shows and the One Chicago and FBI franchises.

However, despite low viewership ratings on network TV, the move to Peacock could benefit Law & Order: Organized Crime because, along with strong streaming numbers, Stabler’s show can be even more exclusive and cinematic in its approach to telling darker character-driven stories. Stabler’s continued popularity and Olmstead’s expertise in police dramas can keep Law & Order: Organized Crime moving forward in the right direction.