Many fans were shocked to learn that Law & Order: Organized Crime wasn’t renewed at the same time as the other five Dick Wolf shows on NBC. It’s led to concerns that it will be canceled, but could it end up moving to a streaming platform instead?
NBC is mulling over a few ideas. It won’t want to lose any from the Law & Order franchise considering all the shows remain popular. The problem is the cost of producing the shows compared to the success in their timeslots.
It looks like while the linear ratings for Organized Crime are lower compared to the other Dick Wolf shows, the streaming numbers are still good. Deadline reports that NBC could mull a move to Peacock for this series.
Will Law & Order: Organized Crime move to Peacock?
It wouldn’t be the first time a broadcast show has moved to a streaming platform to keep it on the air. CBS has done this with Evil and SEAL Team in recent years. The shift to streaming isn’t a sign that the show isn’t worth keeping on the air, but that it just simply performs better with delayed ratings. The best way to keep it going is by moving it to where the audience is watching it.
Moving Law & Order: Organized Crime to Peacock makes sense. The platform is the NBCUniversal platform, and the show already heads there for on-demand viewing anyway. The entire NBC Dick Wolf line-up is on Peacock.
On top of that, Peacock allows for a slight change to the language and the content. TV-MA is more popular on streaming platforms, and Organized Crime does arguably link better to TV-MA content rather than TV-14. We could see a much darker and more grown-up version of Law & Order with this move.
Fans are already worried about the series, starting up petitions to keep it on the air. NBC could listen but not via its own schedule. A move to Peacock will likely mean a shorter episode order, but that will work for a series like Organized Crime, which is more serialized than procedural unlike the other two shows in the franchise. This could turn out to be a positive move.
Law & Order: Organized Crime airs Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC.