Law & Order: Organized Crime’s Season 5 Release Change Means A Forgotten Story Can Finally Continue

Recent news about Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 suggests the series might finally be able to finish a long-forgotten story. The Christopher Meloni-led spinoff of Law & Order: SVU has been on the bubble since March.

NBC renewed the other two Law & Order shows, but Law & Order: Organized Crime’s future remained uncertain. However, recently news broke that the series was close to inking a deal which would allow it to produce a limited number of episodes to be streamed on Peacock.

Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 moving to Peacock is a significant departure for the franchise, which has dominated Thursday nights with three hours of Law & Order shows for the past several years. However, the move may also allow the series more creative freedom because of looser restrictions on streamed content compared to broadcast.

This change will allow the series to finally finish a long-forgotten storyline it began during season 2.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Left Reggie’s Season 2 Story Unfinished

 


Reggie Bodangi (Dash Mihok) was one of the more likable villains that Stabler dealt with during Law & Order: Organized Crime season 2. Stabler met him when he infiltrated the Kosta Organization, a violent Albanian criminal organization. Reggie had more loyalty than brains and was especially concerned about his mother, who was a higher-up in the organization, who was ill. His devotion to his mother and Stabler’s mixed feelings about taking him down made him a popular character despite the horrific violence he often engaged in.

Reggie ultimately ended up in witness protection after a dramatic sequence in which his mother attempted to murder Stabler in court and ended up in prison. He was last seen pumping gas in a small town somewhere, suggesting that he might resurface, but he hasn’t been mentioned since. Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 would be the perfect time to bring Reggie back for a new storyline, especially since the series is poised to move to Peacock.

Moving To Peacock Means Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 Can Continue Reggie’s Story

The Kosta Organization storyline was one of the most violent in Law & Order: Organized Crime’s history. Mob stories in general aren’t pretty, and the real-life Albanian mob has a reputation for being one of the most violent criminal organizations in existence. However, that level of violence is harder to depict on broadcast TV, where there are stricter regulations about what can and cannot be depicted. It will likely be easier to tell a new story involving Reggie or other Albanian mob members after the series moves to Peacock, where there’s more freedom with the content it offers.

That goes hand-in-hand with how the move to Peacock can be characterized as a reboot of sorts for Law & Order: Organized Crime. The series has bounced from one format to another on broadcast TV in an attempt to woo viewers. Moving to streaming will allow it to return to its earlier, grittier format, which included longer arcs as well as more graphic content. These conditions are perfect for a new Reggie storyline, which would likely involve the type of violence and dehumanization that mob stories of this nature need.