"It was a good ride, I had a great time playing him," Meloni said of his character Elliot Stabler
Credit: Chris Meloni/Instagram; Virginia Sherwood/PEACOCK via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Christopher Meloni has thanked fans for their support in an emotional Instagram video after the cancellation of Law & Order: Organized Crime
- The spinoff series, which premiered in 2021, will not return for a sixth season after concluding in June 2025
- Meloni first played Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU in 1999 and called reprising the role in Law & Order: Organized Crime “a comfortable place” for him while speaking to PEOPLE last year
Christopher Meloni is clearly feeling emotional following the cancellation of Law & Order: Organized Crime.
On Thursday, April 16, the actor, 65, appeared to hold back tears in an Instagram video as he expressed his gratitude to fans after it was announced that the show was coming to an end following five seasons.
“Hey everyone, I just saw that they announced OC, Organized Crime won’t be coming back,” Meloni said. “So I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans, who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back.”
“Good ride," he added, as his eyes appeared to well up. "It was a good ride, I had a great time playing him. It was a great ride, but thank you. You helped give me a career that I never dreamed of. Nearly 17 odd years.”
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PEOPLE confirmed on Thursday that the spinoff series would not be returning for a sixth season after the last season concluded in June 2025.
Meloni reprised his Law & Order: Special Victims Unit character, Elliot Stabler, in Law & Order: Organized Crime in 2021. He appeared in 75 episodes alongside Ainsley Seiger, Danielle Moné Truitt and Rick Gonzalez.
Credit: Virginia Sherwood/PEACOCK via Getty
The show watched Stabler return to New York "after a decade abroad to rebuild his life following a devastating personal loss," per the synopsis, as he worked with Sgt. Ayanna Bell’s (Truitt) in the Organized Crime Control Bureau.
Last year, Meloni told PEOPLE that playing his character was "a comfortable place" for him.
Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
"It is a place I know very well, and yet I'm not tired of doing. It's good storytelling with people that I like to work with. When they asked me to do OC, I'd never had this feeling. It was a little bit like going home," he said.
Meloni first played the role on Law & Order: SVU in 1999, before departing the Mariska Hargitay-led series in 2012 after 12 seasons.
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