WARNING! SPOILERS ahead for Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, episode 9, "Off the Books."

Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 demonstrates that the gritty procedural is the opposite of everything that has made the Law & Order franchise iconic, but that could be positive news. The Law & Order franchise has followed the same successful formula for over 20 years, in which the first half of each episode is dedicated to cops solving a crime and the second half involves the trial of the arrested defendant. Many of the best episodes of Law & Order take full advantage of this format to point out weaknesses in the criminal justice system.

Law & Order: Organized Crime was initially marketed as Stabler's (Christopher Meloni) return to the franchise after a 10-year absence. However, the series does not focus on the long relationship between Benson and Stabler in Law & Order: SVU or follow the same formula as other shows in the franchise. Most notably, most of its stories take several episodes to resolve, and there is not usually a trial aspect to the cases, although Law & Order: SVU's Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino) appears occasionally if there is a wrinkle in a case.

The Law & Order Franchise Has Always Prioritized Its Cases Over Personal Stories

Personal Arcs Are Secondary To The Case

The Law & Order franchise tends to be focused more on procedural aspects than on the characters' personal lives, especially the original Law & Order. The series' purpose is to show both sides of the legal system and ask tough questions about how well justice is served, and personal storylines would distract from that. That said, the two other entries in the franchise do have subplots involving the characters' families, but these are usually secondary to the case at hand.

While the original series only features the characters' lives occasionally, Law & Order: SVU focuses more on the personal. However, its decision to have the Stabler family be prominent in early seasons was controversial because that was seen as a departure from tradition. These types of stories have become less common in recent years. In fact, Law & Order: SVU season 26 has cut back on personal stories, leaving audiences frustrated and confused because Benson's son was so rarely featured.

Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 Officially Makes It Stabler's Story

Every Case Is Connected To His Personal Life

While Stabler's family has always been an important part of the franchise, his personal life has never been centered as much as it has in Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5. Stabler's brothers were brought back during Law & Order: Organized Crime season 4, as was his mother (Ellen Burstyn), which has led to compelling subplots in which Stabler has to navigate his complicated family relationships and his need to care for his aging mother, who has dementia as well as bipolar disorder.

His latest case makes the point even clearer, as Stabler spends Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, episode 9 trying to save his youngest brother from a drug kingpin.

All of the Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 cases are all linked to Stabler. The season began with him grieving the loss of a child he was trying to save, followed by a case involving a former CI of his whose grandsons had been sucked back into mob life despite Stabler getting them all safe age to America to start a new life. His latest case makes the point even clearer, as Stabler spends Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5, episode 9 trying to save his youngest brother from a drug kingpin.

Organized Crime Veering Away From Law & Order's Format Can Be A Good Thing

The Procedural Stands On Its Own Now That It's On Streaming

Law & Order: Organized Crime is part of the same franchise because of Stabler's presence, as he originated in Law & Order: SVU. However, it has been a mistake for past showrunners to try to force it into the same format that the other Law & Order shows embrace. Organized crime cases are complicated, difficult to prove, and usually involve higher levels of violence than cases in standard procedurals, so trying to fit these stories neatly into a formula doesn't work.

The procedural should continue to focus on Stabler's connection to the cases he is solving to help separate this show from others in the genre and be more true to how organized crime cases work in the real world.

Now that Law & Order: Organized Crime is streaming rather than airing on broadcast TV, it has the ability to tell grittier, more serialized stories. Thus, moving further away from the franchise's formula to tell stories that fit its brand makes sense. The procedural should continue to focus on Stabler's connection to the cases he is solving to help separate this show from others in the genre and be more true to how organized crime cases work in the real world.

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