Chris Meloni Chokes Up as He Reacts to ‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Cancellation: ‘It Was a Great Ride’

Chris Meloni got emotional as he reacted to the news that Law & Order: Organized Crime had been canceled after five seasons. 

Chris Meloni had a career he ‘never dreamed of’ thanks to ‘Law & Order’ franchise

On Thursday, after it was reported that the Peacock series would not return for season 6, Meloni took to Instagram to speak to fans.

“I just saw that they announced that OC – Organized Crime – won’t be coming back,” he said in a video. “So I want to take this moment to say ‘thank you’ to the fans, who not only helped to give the character of Eliot Stabler life, but for sticking with him. Sticking with him, and welcoming him back.”

“It was a good ride,” the visibly emotional actor continued. “I had a great time playing him.”

“It was a great ride,” he added after a pause, appearing to hold back tears. “But thank you. You helped give me a career that I never dreamed of. You know, 17 odd years.”

Meloni played Detective Olivia Benson’s Detective Stabler on Law & Order: SVU for 12 seasons before leaving in 2011. In 2021, the character returned in Law & Order: Organized Crime. He also appeared multiple times on SVU in recent years as the show’s storylines intersected. 

Meloni’s SVU co-star Mariska Hargitay, who plays Benson, reacted to his video with a simple comment: “P4L,” shorthand for partners for life. 

Fans wonder if Stabler will be back in future episode of ‘SVU’

Though Organized Crime will not return, Meloni won’t be missing from TV for long. He’s set to star in Hulu’s upcoming football drama The Land. Hopeful fans also speculated that Stabler could also return to SVU in some capacity in order to give some closure to his character’s story (and his and Benson’s complicated will-they-or-won’t-they relationship). 

“I hope this doesn’t mean this is the last time we see Elliot Stabler, ’cause we’re nowhere near done,” one person commented. 

“Can we please get some closure with Stabler? Like not again,” another wrote. 

However, it sounds like Meloni might done with the character for good this time. His video message sounded like a permanent goodbye. And when one fan wrote in the comments that he would bet that Stabler was coming back to SVU, he shut down that speculation with a one-world reply.

“No,” Meloni wrote. 

Law & Order: Organized Crime is streaming on Peacock.

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