“Law & Order: Organized Crime” is set to return for Season 5 — but it won’t be on NBC. The spin-off, which features erstwhile detective Elliott Stabler (Christopher Meloni) combating New York mafiosos and other bad guys — will be a Peacock exclusive from now on. Stabler will remain a part of the series. The show will be replaced in NBC’s line-up by “Found,” a procedural headed into its second season that focuses on Gabrielle “Gabi” Mosely (Shanola Hampton), who runs a crisis management firm that searches out victims who have been ignored by the police. She is aided by Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), a serial kidnapper who once took her hostage as a child but whom she now hides in her basement and uses to help her solve cases.

As for “Organized Crime,” NBC hasn’t confirmed the return of any actors but Meloni on the spin-off. Much of the show’s behind-the-scenes staff will also remain the same, with John Shiban continuing as showrunner and Dick Wolf, Meloni, Shiban, Paul Cabbad, Jon Cassar, Arthur Forney, and Peter Jankowski all returning to executive produce. Season 5 will consist of ten episodes, three fewer episodes than the Season 4 renewal contained, but a reasonable amount for a streaming show. There’s no word as to when it will be available on Peacock as of this writing.

While this means fans of the show will have to buy a streaming subscription to keep up with Elliot’s adventures, they’ll at least get the opportunity to spend more time with him. But the question remains: why does “Law & Order: Organized Crime” appear to be lagging behind its brethren? There may be a reason for that.

Why is “Law & Order: Organized Crime” lingering behind the other shows in the “Law & Order” universe? It might be due to the fact that, unlike the rest of the franchise, it’s not quite as easy to randomly pick up and start watching the series from any random episode. Sure, you can watch Olivia Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) life change from season to season on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” but the main focus is on each episode’s one-and-done case. “Organized Crime,” on the other hand, mainly focuses on Elliot’s quest for revenge and his personal life, and that requires serialized viewing.

It’s also the grittiest show in the “Law & Order” lineup, and that’s saying something. It takes on the topics of drug addiction and brutal murder in an even more intense way than the other shows in the stable, making it a tough watch for even the most hardened “Law & Order” fan. It’s also possible that those devoted to the procedural nature of the other shows aren’t into the gangland action that “Organized Crime” deals with.

The series left fans on a big cliffhanger, with the possibly-leaving Joe Stabler Jr. (Michael Trotter) handcuffed to a chemical weapon by his boss. Fans will find out what happens to Eliot’s brother when the series resumes on Peacock in the near future.