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

The Door Was Open For The Kosta Organization Henchman to Return, But Nothing Happened

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

Looser Restrictions Allow the Violence and Grit This Story Deserves

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.

There Are Several Ways Reggie’s Story Could Continue

Reggie’s return story is natural considering the recent death of Rita, a waitress involved in the Kosta Organization storyline. In season 4, Rita contacted Stabler again and Stabler learned she had been kidnapped, but failed to rescue her before she was murdered. This callback to the past seemed random and Rita’s death was somewhat gratuitous. However, Rita’s death could be the catalyst that brings Reggie back to New York, or at least puts him on Stabler’s radar.

The direction of any Reggie return story depends on how the years of isolation have affected Reggie. He was heartbroken by his mother’s imprisonment and didn’t have Stabler or anyone else to calm him down while he was in witness protection, so he could return a more hardened criminal eager to exact vengeance on Stabler. Most of the Kosta Organization is in prison, but Reggie’s reappearance could give John Kosta the perfect opportunity to manipulate him from behind bars into doing his bidding, especially if the isolation has taken its toll on Reggie.

Conversely, Reggie could return to testify against Kosta. This option would tie into his participation in the witness protection program and would also leave Stabler determined to protect him from Kosta’s attempts to intimidate or kill him before he can speak in court. Stabler would likely be determined to keep Reggie safe because of Stabler’s guilt over Rita’s death, while Kosta would be a formidable enemy who it would not be easy to neutralize.

Law & Order: Organized Crime has many options for riveting drama involving Reggie. Season 5 is the best time for Reggie to resurface since the series is moving to Peacock, offering the writers more avenues to explore. A new Reggie story could attract first-time viewers who enjoy gritty mob stories as well as interest those fans who liked the original story. It would also resolve a plot point that has been left hanging since the end of season 2 with a gripping new story.