The Law & Order franchise continues to grow with its two highly popular TV shows Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime, both focusing on crime and justice. Despite the shared universe and themes, the two are quite different from each other.
A landmark among the longest-running primetime dramas in U.S. history, Law & Order: SVU was first released in September 1999, and has since engaged fans with crime and legal cases. Developed by Dick Wolf, the police procedural centers around the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
Law & Order: Organized Crime is comparatively a new police procedural in the franchise which first premiered in 2021 on NBC. At the heart of the series is Detective Elliot Stabler, a beloved character from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU), portrayed by Christopher Meloni.
But as mentioned earlier, the two shows also have notable differences which you can explore below:
Similarities between Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime
Considered two of the most liked police procedurals in the Law & Order franchise, their narratives and core themes have injected curiosity among viewers. If you've been wondering about the similarities between Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime, make sure to read them below:
1) Shared Universe and Themes: Set in the same fictional universe, the shows extensively focus on crime and justice. With a procedural format, the episodes often involve solving crimes.
There have been crossovers where characters of one show share a screen with the other. One of the key figures in Law & Order: Organized Crime–Elliot Stabler is originally from Law & Order: SVU who later became the lead character in Organized Crime.
2) Core Concept: The main aim of the law enforcement officials in the two shows is to seek justice and protect the victims who have been a target of a crime or any violent act. As seen in Law & Order: Organized Crime, Sergeant Ayanna Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) leads the OCCB task force and works alongside Stabler to ensure the team is committed to justice.
3) Character-Driven Narrative: While solving crimes remains the focus of the shows, they also delve into the personal lives of the characters. Viewers are offered a deep dive into the triumphs and struggles of Olivia Benson, Stabler, and other key figures of the shows.
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Differences between Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime
In Law & Order: SVU, most of the episodes focus on self-contained cases, but when it comes to Law & Order: Organized Crime, the storytelling is handled differently. As seen in the initial episodes of Organized Crime, the focus was on a single case that unfolded in multiple episodes. This not only makes it different from Law & Order: SVU, but also goes beyond a traditional procedural. Below are the differences between the two shows:
1) Serialized Storytelling: The very first difference between the two popular shows is the structure. While SVU follows a case-of-the-week structure, Organized Crime focuses on a single case that is gradually solved in multiple episodes.
The serialized format offers an in-depth exploration of a single crime, keeping fans curious and hooked with the narrative. This also makes the show feel like a mini-series instead of a traditional police procedural.
2) Stabler’s Personal Loss and His Role: In Law & Order: Organized Crime, Stabelr returned to New York, and suffered devastating personal loss. This change becomes a key aspect of his story in the initial episodes.
Though Benson helps Stabler during investigations, the focus remains on Stabler's journey. This contrasts with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in which Benson was seen leading multiple cases and investigations.
3) Focus on crime types: As seen throughout the episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the show deals with sexual offenses and crimes including sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. Viewers are offered a dive into how a crime emotionally and psychologically impacts the victims.
Whereas in Law & Order: Organized Crime, the detectives deal with organized crime syndicates and complex criminal operations like drug trafficking, racketeering, and corruption. The officials work to seek justice and expose the illegal activities taking place in New York.
While both police procedurals are a part of the Law & Order franchise, they offer different storytelling experiences to their viewers. Fans have been watching them for years, and are always eager to watch a new episode.
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