Introducing Elliot Stabler...
Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) was first introduced to fans in season one of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The quick-to-anger detective was longtime partners with now SVU captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and a dedicated family man. Married at 17 to his sweetheart Kathy (Isabel Gillies), the Stablers have five children together: Maureen, Kathleen, twins Elizabeth and Richard and Elliot Jr.
Detective Stabler's SVU Departure
Meloni played Detective Elliot Stabler from 1999 to 2011 as he departed the crime procedural after season 12. The last time SVU fans saw Stabler, he fatally shot a woman who was shooting up the precinct. Benson was later blindsided by the fact that Stabler retired before speaking with her.
Welcome Back
10 years later, Stabler is out of retirement and back fighting crime. According to the show's description, Organized Crime will follow Stabler as he returns "to the NYPD to battle organized crime after a devastating personal loss. However, the city and police department have changed dramatically in the decade he's been away, and he must adapt to a criminal justice system in the midst of its own moment of reckoning. Stabler will aim to find absolution and rebuild his life while leading an elite new task force that is taking apart the city's most powerful crime syndicates one by one."
The Reunion We've Been Waiting For
Meloni's return to the franchise as Stabler includes a Law & Order crossover event! This means Stabler and Benson will be on-screen together for the first time in a decade. Meloni's April 1 appearance on SVU will launch the new series, Organized Crime.
More Reunions?
As Law & Order SVU showrunner Warren Leight teased in March 2021, the crossover event won't be the only Benson-Stabler reunion. He wrote on Twitter, "yesterday's scenes were for an svu down the road."
Hello, Richard Wheatley
Dylan McDermott has been cast alongside Meloni on Law & Order: Organized Crime. While little has been revealed about his role, the production photo lists his character name as Richard Wheatley. The image also features Nick Creegan as Richard "Richie" Wheatley Jr.
A New Sergeant
Fans will get to know Danielle Moné Truitt as Sergeant Ayanna Bell in the first episode of Organized Crime.
From Forensic Crime to Organized Crime
In February 2021, longtime Bones star Tamara Taylor was confirmed as one of Meloni's co-stars on Law & Order: Organized Crime.