In the years since Meloni left "SVU," he didn't even make a guest appearance on the show, or even cameo. That is, until 2021, when Meloni returned as Stabler, headlining his very own show, "Law & Order: Organized Crime".

"I was intrigued for a variety of personal reasons," Meloni told Entertainment Weekly of his decision to return to the "Law & Order" fold. "If you have, at least from my perspective, a very well-known and beloved TV character who left abruptly and, I would argue, unceremoniously ... there's a built-in recognizability, a thing that needs to be satiated with a sense of closure. Those are all very attractive things."

It probably also helps that "Law & Order: Organized Crime" — which kicks off with the murder of Stabler's longtime wife, Kathy Stabler — is a very different show than "SVU." Much of the show's engine is around Stabler getting vengeance for his wife, who he believes was killed by mafioso Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) (via E! Online). So while "SVU" finds its detectives trying to hunt down different suspects week after week, Stabler is far more concerned with one suspect in particular.

"It's not a case of the week, because organized crime doesn't work in that way," showrunner Ilene Chaiken explained. Plus, Stabler's family is a central part of the show, whereas on "SVU," the detectives' personal lives are relegated to the background, often leaving nothing more than subtle hints for the audience.