Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, two of the biggest stars in the Law & Order constellation, know when to pub their respective shows.
Like Thursday. That’s a perfect day to hype Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime. Fans have waited months for the premieres. And it’ll all unfold Thursday night.
Hargitay posted a photo from Law & Order day on the Today show. She captioned it: “Thank you Today show for helping NBC’s Law & Order celebrate premiere day. Tune in tonight for the 2-hour #SVU #season23 premiere at 8 pm on NBC followed by the season 2 Organized Crime premiere. “
And as Hargitay loves to do, she added more Law & Order details via hashtag. #DunDun #Grateful. It’s a privilege to tell these stories #BelieveSurvivors
Yes, It’s Officially Law & Order Thursday
Yes, today is Law & Order Thursday. SVU starts its 23rd season, while Organized Crime heads into season two. The spinoff had a two-month run in the spring. It allowed Meloni to return to his role of Elliot Stabler, Meloni left SVU a decade ago over a contract dispute with NBC. He wanted more money or fewer appearances. The network said no on both proposals. But NBC couldn’t turn down another Law & Order idea from prolific creator Dick Wolf.
Earlier in the week both Hargitay, who portrays Olivia Benson, and Meloni celebrated their 22nd anniversary of working together on SVU.
This Law & Order Thursday will feature two hours of SVU, then 60 minutes of Organized Crime. Wolf admitted that he likes to tell stories in three-hour blocks.
Wolf had two other nights focused on his shows. NBC devoted Wednesday night to the Chicago franchise — Med, PD and Fire. And CBS did so with Wolf’s FBI franchise, Tuesday night.
Both nights were ratings winners. FBI: Most Wanted won the Tuesday night battle for viewers with 6.87 million tuning in. FBI totaled 6.77 million. Then newbie FBI: International premiered with 6.24 million.
Meanwhile, Chicago Fire owned Wednesday with 7 million viewers. Chicago Med countered with 6.54 million and PD had 6.35 million.
Will Three Hours Tell Us Whether Stabler and Benson Get Together?
So what will Law & Order Thursday look like? SVU’s episode is called And the Empire Strikes Back. It’s plot summary: “As the investigation into a sex-for-housing scheme expands, Benson’s loyalty to Garland is tested. Rollins and Carisi try to keep their witnesses on board when a powerful congressman is identified as a suspect.”
Organized Crime follows with an episode called The Man With No Identity. It’s official plot summary: “After taking down Wheatley’s drug empire and discovering his wife’s killer, Stabler must infiltrate a notorious crime family aiming to take over New York City’s cocaine trade. Bell is forced to work with a rival colleague when their investigations collide.
But if you’re a long-time fan of Law & Order, you probably have one thought on your mind. Today show host Craig Melvin asked Hargitay and Meloni what everyone wants to know.
Melvin said: “Do you know whether you’re going to get together this season and you’re just not telling? Or do you honestly not know?”
That’s what three hours of Law & Order may provide.
