>Law & Order: Organized Crime is a series targeting a very specific fanbase – the Dick Wolfe diehards. If you’re not someone who finds themselves binging the many incarnations of a multitude of cable channels or someone who is glued to his Chicago shows, then this show is not for you…at all.
However, if the above paragraph describes you to a T, then this new series is absolutely for you.
Law & Order: Organized Crime has two things going for it. The first is, and it’s the obvious appeal of the series – the return of Christopher Meloni as the hard-nosed Detective Elliott Stabler. Stabler is one of the most iconic characters in the Law & Order franchise, right up there with Benson, Briscoe, and Jack McCoy. It’s been no secret that fans have wanted him to return to SVU, and that series definitely had its share of creative issues due to his departure.
In the premiere and the SVU episode that preceded it, we saw the return to form for Meloni in the role. With Stabler hellbent on finding the person who ordered his assassination (which leads to his wife’s death) we see the character doing what he does best – not listening to authority, crossing way too many lines, and aggressively trying to seek justice while alienating everyone who cares about him. This formula was a big success for both shows as they did well in the ratings.
Yet, on the other side of the coin, the return of Stabler felt all too predictable. Nothing has evolved with Stabler as a character. He’s still hiding things from his family, he’s still lying to everyone, and he’s still problematically aggressive. The only things that have changed with Stabler are that he looks slightly older and his kids are grown up. Nothing else. For those who desperately wanted Stabler back in their lives, the lack of evolution is probably irrelevant. However, the break-the-rules, tough guy cop is so played out at the moment; seeing a different shade of Stabler would be nice (and maybe with him grieving his wife, we will see this).
This is a shame because since leaving SVU, Meloni has gone on to do a wide array of really interesting work. Whether it was playing a gruff dad in the funny, but short-lived sitcom Surviving Jack or oddball characters in Happy! and Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer properties, or meatier dramatic roles in Handmaid’s Tale – Meloni left his mark on everything he’s done. He’s shown this amazing range and now he’s back in a role that, while beloved, feels like a dramatic step backward. One has to hope Meloni keeps up with his more creative career choices while basking in the success of the series.
The second major appeal for Law & Order: Organized Crime is that it breaks the narrative mold that all Law & Order series before it adhered to – the case of the week. In this series, there is one overarching story, complete with a “big bad” (Dylan McDermott, American Horror Story). We’ve seen recurring villains and criminals in the franchise before, in particular Nicole Wallace (Olivia d’Abo, The Wonder Years) who was the nemesis of Detective Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onfrio, Daredevil) on Criminal Intent — but we’ve never seen a season-long villain in this world before.
It’s a bold strategy for the series, but the organized crime aspect of the show does lend itself to more of a season-long story than a case of the week. While this is a novel approach to the series it, unfortunately, falls flat in the premiere. First, the initial villain (Chazz Palminteri, The Usual Suspects) has the last name of Sinatra. It’s like giving the character of an Irish bartender the last name Guinness. It’s so cartoony and insipid that you cannot take this apparently fearsome mobster seriously at all. McDermott is given the unfortunate role of the mobster walking the line between a legit businessman and a violent criminal. His dialogue is one-dimensional and clunky that unfortunately McDermott (despite his best efforts) cannot out-act. There is nothing about the organized crime element of the show that gives off any sense of them being a threat and if you can’t believe the villain is a threat – how can anyone invest in the drama of the series?
The rest of the premiere is an absolute mess as supporting characters like Stabler’s new partner (Danielle Moné Truitt, Deputy), the big bad’s ex-wife (Tamara Taylor, Bones), and others in the organized crime division are barely defined and their stories feel crowbarred in for introduction’s sake. Hopefully the show can suss things out for these characters. Particularly, Taylor is a dynamic actress and could be an interesting foil for Stabler.
Law & Order: Organized Crime is a series riddled with plot holes, paper-thin characters, and overused and out-of-date crime drama tropes. Yet, for those who are looking for the warm blanket of nostalgia and familiarity – this series is exactly what you’re looking for.
Law & Order: Organized Crime airs Thursdays on NBC and it streams on Peacock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm1oDNsBSXI
