NBC’s “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” featuring Chris Meloni’s return as Elliot Stabler, is no longer part of NBC’s fall schedule, following the departure of showrunner Matt Olmstead.
Olmstead, who has an overall deal with Universal TV, is expected to land at another Dick Wolf-produced series, an individual with knowledge of the decision told TheWrap. The show is currently looking for a new showrunner and has paused the start of production as a result.
The newest “Law & Order” series was supposed to air Thursday nights at 10 p.m. following the 22nd season of “SVU” at 9 p.m. It was NBC’s only new series slotted for this fall, with Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s “Mr. Mayor,” Kenan Thompson’s “Kenan” and Dwayne Johnson’s “Young Rock” all being held for later in the season. “Law & Order: Organized Crime” is still expected to debut at some point during the 2020-2021 TV season.
“Organized Crime” was ordered straight-to-series back in March of last year and marks Meloni’s return to the franchise, after exiting “SVU” following the show’s 12th season. The series will see Stabler returning to the NYPD as the head of an organized crime unit.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news of Olmstead departing “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”