Christopher Meloni will lead NBC's new "Law & Order" spinoff,...

Christopher Meloni will lead NBC's new "Law & Order" spinoff, "Organized Crime." Credit: Getty Images for IMDb/Getty Images for IMDb / Rich Polk

"Law & Order: Organized Crime," the latest entry in creator Dick Wolf's long-running "Law & Order" crime-drama franchise, will premiere April 1 in a crossover with "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

NBC announced Thursday that the two-hour crossover begins at 9 p.m. with "SVU," leading into the premiere of "Organized Crime" at 10. The story finds SVU Capt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) reuniting with her former partner Elliot Stabler ("Organized Crime" star Christopher Meloni), who has returned to the NYPD from retirement following a devastating personal loss.

Joining a new elite task force, Stabler aims to rebuild his life while helping trying to dismantle New York City's criminal syndicates one by one. Meloni, 59, who most recently starred in Syfy's "Happy!" and Hulu's "Maxxx," was on "SVU" from its premiere in 1999 through 2011, earning one Emmy nomination.

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