'It Was a Great Ride' — Christopher Meloni Gives Heartfelt Goodbye to Playing Elliot Stabler Full Time After Law & Order: Organized Crime Is Cancelled

It might finally be the moment where Christopher Meloni hangs up his Elliot Stabler hat. The actor, who has played the beloved Law & Order character on and off for an incredible 27 years, gave somewhat of a farewell to the detective after the news that the spinoff series Law & Order: Organized Crime was being cancelled. “I just saw that they announced Organized Crime won’t be coming back,” Meloni said in a video statement about the series, which aired its first four seasons on NBC before moving to Peacock, via his Instagram on Thursday, April 16. “I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back. It was a good ride.” He added, “I had a great time playing him. It was a great ride. Thank you. You helped give me a career that I never dreamed of, nearly 17 odd years.” Earlier that day, it was confirmed that Organized Crime would conclude after its fifth season — which was the last place Meloni was playing the famed character full time. He has and presumably will continue to make appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but those are just that: