The actor debuted the hotheaded detective character almost 30 years ago.

Christopher Meloni says an emotional goodbye to Stabler and Law & Order: Organized Crime: ‘It was a great ride’

The actor debuted the hotheaded detective character almost 30 years ago.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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April 17, 2026 12:45 p.m. ET

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Christopher Meloni on 'Law & Order: Organized Crime'. Credit:

Virginia Sherwood/PEACOCK via Getty

- *Law & Order: Organized Crime* was canceled after five seasons.

- Christopher Meloni posted an emotional goodbye to his character, Det. Elliot Stabler.

- Meloni called his 17 seasons of *Law & Order* a "great ride."

After a run that spanned nearly 30 years, Christopher Meloni is sharing an emotional goodbye to Det. Elliot Stabler.

Meloni's *Law & Order: Organized Crime* was canceled on Thursday after five seasons, and so, for now, this is it for Stabler, the iconic cop character that Meloni began playing when *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* premiered in 1999.

“Hey everyone, I just saw that they announced *OC*, *Organized Crime* won’t be coming back,” Meloni said in an Instagram video. “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.”

Christopher Meloni at the 2025 Emmys.

Amy Sussman/Getty

Meloni and Mariska Hargitay launched *SVU *as Stabler and Det. Olivia Benson, and the duo became the beloved partnership of the *Law & Order* universe. But that dynamic was suddenly ripped away when Meloni departed *SVU *in 2011.

He eventually reprised the role with the 2021 launch of *Organized Crime*, which found Stabler coming back to the force and working to bring down New York's most dangerous organized crime syndicates. The spinoff moved from NBC to Peacock for season 5, and the cancellation news is less than surprising considering its been almost a year since the now series finale aired.

"I had a great time playing him," Meloni said, seemingly becoming overwhelmed by his emotions. "It was a great ride. But thank you. You helped give me a career that I never dreamed of."

*Law & Order: Organized Crime* canceled after 5 seasons — but *SVU* will be back for season 28

Christopher Meloni reveals his favorite *SVU* scene with Mariska Hargitay: 'We were bound to each other'

Hargitay shared her support in the comments, writing, "P4L," likely meaning, "Partners for Life." And with *SVU* renewed for a 28th season, there's definitely room for Stabler and Benson to partner back up.

In the meantime, Meloni is next hitting the gridiron as one of the stars of Hulu's football drama *The Land*.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW TV”