New SVU spin-off ordered by NBC: What we know so far

By Alexandria Ingham | Apr 1, 2020

STUDIO CITY, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: Actor Christopher Meloni visits 'The IMDb Show' on March 26, 2019 in Studio City, California. This episode of 'The IMDb Show' airs on April 25, 2019. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb) /

Chris Meloni is returning to the SVU universe, but not in the long-running series. Instead, he’s headlining an SVU spin-off ordered by NBC.

Hands up if all you’ve wanted is Chris Meloni to return to Law & Order: SVU. There will be a fair few hands up in the air. After his departure in Season 12, all we heard was that the character Elliot Stabler had retired and walked away. Now it’s time to find out what really happened in a new SVU spin-off.

NBC has ordered the spin-off sees Meloni return as Stabler, now the head of the Organized Crime Department. Fans will remember that we learned about Stabler’s decision to retire from the force at the same time as Olivia Benson learned on screen. We were just as heartbroken and disappointed as she was, although the exit was on the cards when contract negotiations broke down behind the scenes.

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The new series as a 13-episode straight-to-series order. The decision to skip a pilot stage isn’t all that surprising. Not only do fans already know the character, but pilots can’t film right now. If networks want new shows to air, they’re going to need to opt for the straight-to-series method that most streamers opt for.

Deadline reports that Chicago PD‘s former showrunner Matt Olmstead is being eyed as showrunner for the new series. However, Olmstead is currently the showrunner on ABC’s Stumptown.

Does this mean that Stumptown is not getting renewed for a second season? The crime dramedy has struggled with the ratings from the beginning but has benefited from the DVR ratings. These delayed viewing ratings could have saved the show, but it looks like ABC may be choosing not to renew after all. It does have the straight-to-series The Big Sky to fall back on.

Of course, some people can run two productions, which is something Olmstead could choose to do. We just have to look at Grey’s Anatomy‘s Krista Vernoff, who is running Station 19 too. We also have to remember that Greg Berlanti has multiple productions on the go, but he does have an excellent team for each show to help. Sera Gamble has also been co-showrunner on The Magicians while being the showrunner on You on Netflix.

There’s no confirmation that Olmstead is joining the SVU spin-off just yet. This is clearly in early days just now, but will mark Meloni’s return to the highly popular Dick Wolf franchise.

Next. Why the three-season WVU renewal is so great for fans. dark

What do you think about Meloni returning to the SVU world? What do you hope to see in the SVU spin-off? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Stay tuned with Precinct TV for the latest on the SVU spin-off and more TV crime drama news.