Christopher Meloni Returns to TV in Law & Order Organized Crime – TV News
By Ron Signore
Growing up, I had dreams of becoming a lawyer. I have always been fascinated with the law and the charms of how it can work equally for someone who is guilty as much as someone who is innocent. It has imperfections and like medicine, is a constant practice. While I grew up in a police family, I felt a pride in the work police do, but always wanted to be the closer to enforce the laws and put the bad guys away.
I would be lying if I didn’t say entertainment didn’t play a role in that fascination. Movies like A Few Good Men, And Justice for All and even My Cousin Vinny all led me to believe I could argue a structured argument bound by law. However, I would suppose the most impactful influence was the Dick Wolf series, Law and Order. I absolutely love each series under that umbrella.
The detail of understanding how police work to solve a crime, the do’s and do not’s based on the framework of the constitution is a great lesson for us all. Then the perception of the strict guidelines needed to be obeyed by the attorneys prosecuting the criminals charged, and the difficulty that can provide to prove guilt. Despite the obvious challenges to the prosecuting side, and the lucrative notion seen by those lawyers on the defense, I always loved the idea of being a prosecutor like Sam Waterston portrayed in Jack McCoy.
Each series specialized in certain areas of criminal activity. The original Law and Order focused on more murderous crimes. Criminal intent focused on the Major Crime Unit and really high profile and complex crimes. The most popular, however, may be the Special Victims Unit (SVU), which focuses on the most heinous crimes that are sexual in nature.
The Special Victims Unit segment of the Law and Order franchise, was born starring Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay as lead detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson. The pair had a chemistry on camera that was natural and always fought the perception that maybe there was something more to them than as just partners fighting crime.
After 272 episodes, concluding 12 seasons, the 13th season starts with Stabler obviously absent. Several angles of stories speculate where he was and “if” he was coming back. By the end of the episode, Olivia learns from her Captain that Stabler handed in his papers and would no longer be part of SVU, or the NYPD. Heart broken by this obvious betrayal; the episode ends with Olivia just standing there with a sad puzzling face upon her. How could your partner just abandon you with no notice after so many years side by side? Someone you have instilled your trust in with your life is just gone without even so much as a goodbye.
Nearly ten years later, the remaining SVU team is going to get to address what has been on all of our minds as viewers since his last appearance on screen, “what the heck, Elliot.?” On April 1st, Meloni will be reprising his role as Elliot Stabler in the newest faction of the Law-and-Order franchise: Organized Crime. We will finally get an understanding as to not only why he just disappeared, but why he remained so absent from the brothers and sisters he spent 10+ years with?
Organized Crime is of interest to me to begin with for many reasons but throw in some legal understanding and a storyline that begins with the return of one of the most beloved detectives across all Law and Order shows, and you have my attention. The newest segment of Dick Wolf’s portfolio premiers Thursday April 1st, yet this is no April Fool’s joke. I cannot wait to view and review this new Meloni led series!
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