Dun Dun!

Law & Order: Organized Crime is finally back, with the first episode of season 5 premiering on Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. Airing as the third part of a crossover between Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime (tune in at 8 p.m. to catch all the action), the season 5 premiere is the only episode of Law & Order: OC that will be broadcast on NBC. The rest of the season will drop exclusively on Peacock, beginning with episodes 1 and 2 both released on April 17.

Ahead of the season premiere, Good Housekeeping spoke with Christopher Meloni, who stars as Detective Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: OC, and previously on Law & Order: SVU alongside Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson.

One of television's most notorious will-they-won't-they pairings, Stabler and Benson reunite under less-than-ideal circumstances at the start of Law & Order: OC's season 5. In episode 2, titled "Dante's Inferno," Benson visits Stabler in the hospital and "helps him deal with traumas, I guess you could say," Chris reveals.

law and order: organized crime dante's inferno episode 502 pictured: (l r) mariska hargitay as capt. olivia benson, chris meloni as det. elliot stabler (photo by: virginia sherwood/peacock)
Virginia Sherwood/Peacock
Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson and Chris Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: Organized Crime

While it's clear that the show will continue to tease viewers by bringing the former partners together only to pull them apart again, fans are holding out hope that Stabler and Benson are endgame. When asked whether he thinks the two characters actually belong together romantically, though, Chris expressed a controversial opinion.

"I think Stabler needs to figure things out for himself."

"No," he admitted. "I still think there's so much to explore [about] who they are as individuals, trying to understand themselves — and then trying to take that very dangerous and long step to being united as one when they've known each other and dealt with each other in a different kind of context. I think Stabler needs to figure things out for himself and I think Benson needs to figure things out," he adds.

With any luck, this episode will get them both a little closer to that goal.

As for what else audiences can expect from the latest season, the move from broadcast to Peacock allows the show to take on a grittier tone. "You push things a little bit more towards the edge. How you engage the criminals, how you engage adult subject matter. Every once in a while, maybe the language. But hopefully the storytelling just gets elevated," Chris shares.

In addition to "dealing with Benson," season 5 also sees "Stabler dealing with his family dynamic." His son, Elliot Stabler, Jr. decided to join the police force at the end of season 4, and season 5 sees him starting foot patrol on duty and being mentored. "I'm not particularly on board with who's mentoring him," Chris says, speaking for his character.

law order: organized crime dantes inferno episode 502 pictured: (l r) dean norris as randall stabler, danielle moné truitt as sgt. ayanna bell, mariska hargitay as capt. olivia benson (photo by: virginia sherwood/peacock)
Virginia Sherwood/Peacock
Dean Norris as Randall Stabler, Danielle Moné Truitt as Sgt. Ayanna Bell, Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson

"My brother, Joe Jr. — that we left dangling from last season — his story comes back and that complicates things for Stabler. Stabler gets injured, so that brings the family together under stressful circumstances. Benson meets my brother Randall, [played by] Dean Norris," Chris continues. "I was very happy about that scene. I wrote that scene, that pleased me," he says with pride. An executive producer on the show, Chris wrote the entirety of episode 2.

"Hopefully the storytelling just gets elevated."

Like their characters, this was also Mariska and Dean's first time meeting in real life. "Oh my gosh, he's her new bestie," Chris says of how well the two got along. When we joked that he's being replaced, he said, "Pretty close! Pretty darn close."

Beyond the intel on the first two episodes, Chris couldn't give much away about the rest of the season. He promises "a lot of action, a lot of serialized storytelling," and of course, "running around trying to organize crime."

We'll just have to keep tuning in to see what else is in store for the team, Stabler and his family.

Law & Order: Organized Crime streams Thursdays on Peacock.

elliot stabler and olivia benson in season 5 of law and order: organized crime
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Jamie Kravitz
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Jamie (she/her) is the news and SEO editor at Good Housekeeping. She oversees GH's digital news strategy, assigning and editing celebrity and entertainment news content. Before joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she was the digital editor at Woman's Day. She has over 7 years of professional experience writing and editing lifestyle content for the Rachael Ray Show, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Insider, Elite Daily and more. She holds a BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College and lives in Brooklyn with her cats Lumos, Linus and Milo.