| Law & Order: Organized Crime | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
| Showrunners | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | April 1 – June 3, 2021 |
| Season chronology | |
The first season of Law & Order: Organized Crime premiered mid-season on April 1, 2021 on NBC and consisted of only 8 episodes right after the production of the 21st season of Law and Order: SVU was suspended due to the COVID pandemic. The season finale aired on June 3, 2021.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "What Happens in Puglia" | Fred Berner | Teleplay by : Ilene Chaiken Story by : Dick Wolf & Ilene Chaiken and Matt Olmstead | April 1, 2021 | 101 | 7.86 [1] |
Detective Elliot Stabler, now a member of an elite organized crime task force, relocates to New York after years of absence and works to take down a crime family who has been selling fake N95 respirators and personal protection equipment overseas while searching for the people responsible for his wife's murder. This episode concludes a crossover event that begins on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 22 episode 9. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Not Your Father's Organized Crime" | Ken Girotti | Ilene Chaiken | April 8, 2021 | 102 | 4.84 [2] |
The task force investigates stolen COVID-19 vaccines being distributed to corrupt doctors who are selling priority access. Meanwhile, Richard tries to bond with Richie over the family empire, but Dana tries to convince Richie that it is not worth it. | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Say Hello to My Little Friends" | John David Coles | Rick Marin | April 15, 2021 | 103 | 4.41 [3] |
The task force gets intel on a public vaccination drive being organized by Richard, so they plan to foil it while also making a major bust in the case. Later, Richie tries to convince Gina to see him, but is met with pushback. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of" | Fred Berner | Juliet Lashinksy-Revene | April 22, 2021 | 104 | 4.36 [4] |
Elliot, in denial about his worsening post-traumatic stress disorder, becomes subject to an intervention staged by his family and Olivia Benson, much to his dismay. Meanwhile, Gina tries to plant a bug in Richard's wine cellar while maintaining her cover in front of him. | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "An Inferior Product" | Eriq La Salle | Zachary Reiter | May 13, 2021 | 105 | 4.45 [5] |
After a failed drug bust ends with an informant dead and an arrest by abusive NYPD officers leaves Bell's nephew hospitalized, Stabler works with Benson to investigate. Wheatley orders a hit on a gang replicating Purple Magic. One of the survivors is implicated in supplying the drugs that killed Benson's half-brother Simon. Elliot learns from Bekher that Angela arranged the hit on Kathy. This episode concludes a crossover event that begins on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 22 episode 13. | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "I Got This Rat" | Bethany Rooney | Jean Kyoung Frazier & Rick Marin | May 20, 2021 | 106 | 4.24 [6] |
Angela is arrested for ordering the hit on Kathy Stabler. She blames Richard for deceiving her by telling her it was Elliot who was responsible for her son Rafiq's death when, in reality, Richard killed him because he was ripping off Purple Magic. She then decides to cooperate with the investigation to put Richard away. Meanwhile, Dana finds out Gina is an undercover cop and informs Richard. A furious Richard then instructs a reluctant Richie to kill Gina. Bekher is present when Richie carries out the hit. | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Everybody Takes a Beating Sometime" | Jean de Segonzac | Marcus J. Guillory | May 27, 2021 | 107 | 4.04 [7] |
One of Richard's men shoots and kills Bekher, later telling Richie there cannot be a witness to him murdering Gina. The task force sets up a sting with international arms dealer Gianluca Silvano, now an informant, making an illegal COVID-19 vaccine buy from Richard. When the buy goes as planned, Stabler and the task force move in to arrest Richard, his son, and his men. Richard tries to escape on a subway train, but Stabler overpowers and cuffs him. Dana is arrested by NYPD officers at the Contrapos office and some of Wheatley's accomplices are arrested, as well. Bell finds out that Gina is dead and confronts Richie in his jail cell. | |||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Forget It, Jake; It's Chinatown" | Fred Berner | Zachary Reiter & Juliet Lashinsky-Revene | June 3, 2021 | 108 | 4.02 [8] |
The Wheatleys are formally indicted. Kept under protection in a hotel during the trial, Angela collapses in the shower; her bath supplies are found to be poisoned with a Novichok agent. Wheatley approaches a U.S. Attorney to move his case to federal court, where he offers up his associates in exchange for leniency. Having learned the truth of his grandfather's murder, Richie contracts a hit on his father from prison. Wheatley is wounded, but is rescued by Stabler and Bell. Using a hidden cell phone, Wheatley arranges for Stabler and Benson to meet in the hospital where Angela is recuperating. His inside man turns out to be Morales, who is killed by Bell, but not before injecting Angela with another poison. | |||||||
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "What Happens in Puglia" | April 1, 2021 | 1.6 | 7.86 [1] | 0.8 | 3.06 | 2.3 | 10.92 [9] [a] |
| 2 | "Not Your Father's Organized Crime" | April 8, 2021 | 0.8 | 4.84 [2] | 0.7 | 2.96 | 1.5 | 7.80 [10] |
| 3 | "Say Hello to My Little Friends" | April 15, 2021 | 0.7 | 4.41 [3] | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of" | April 22, 2021 | 0.6 | 4.36 [4] | 0.7 | 2.83 | 1.3 | 7.20 [11] |
| 5 | "An Inferior Product" | May 13, 2021 | 0.7 | 4.45 [5] | 0.6 | 2.37 | 1.3 | 6.82 [5] |
| 6 | "I Got This Rat" | May 20, 2021 | 0.7 | 4.24 [6] | 0.6 | 2.53 | 1.3 | 6.77 [6] |
| 7 | "Everybody Takes a Beating Sometime" | May 27, 2021 | 0.6 | 4.04 [7] | 0.7 | 2.62 | 1.3 | 6.66 [12] |
| 8 | "Forget it, Jake; it's Chinatown" | June 3, 2021 | 0.6 | 4.02 [8] | 0.6 | 2.38 | 1.2 | 6.40 [13] |