Is Joe Stabler Jr. Leaving Law & Order: Organized Crime?

Everything's crashing in around Elliot Stabler's (Christopher Meloni) head as the third season of "Law & Order: Organized Crime" comes closer to a conclusion. And his family isn't helping ease the burden by drawing some ugly elements into his work life. Fortunately, Joe Jr. (Michael Trotter) is currently among the living, but there's one more episode to go before Season 3 ends, and that might change at any moment.

In "Goodnight", we learn Joey is severely addicted to heroin, and ended up in that condition while serving in Kabul. Unfortunately, the monkey on his back is pretty aggressive, and now that he's back in the States, he's working for some pretty shady people — to the point that Joey is now a suspect in the murder of a smuggler attached to one of Stabler's cases. Stabler kidnaps young Joey to stage an intervention, then helps him through a torturous detox — the only option he has for his brother besides sending him off to prison. 

Unfortunately, Joey makes a break for it. He hooks back up with his former compatriot Julian Emery (Tom Payne), a smuggler who leads the Recoat gang and has some big connections and horrifying plans, and proudly announces to Stabler he can help with the case. Reluctantly, Stabler's willing to put his baby brother's sobriety on the line — something that almost goes terribly when one of Emery's soldiers suspects Joey's wearing a wire. Joey survives the situation by the skin of his teeth without tipping his hand.

With "Organized Crime" on the verge of moving to Peacock for Season 5, and the final episode of Season 3 titled "Stabler's Lament," there's no guarantee that'll last forever, though.

Obviously, certain central characters — like Elliot Stabler, as Christopher Meloni is an executive producer on the drama as well  — will likely survive the move that'll bring "Law & Order: Organized Crime" to Peacock from NBC. As for the other actors? There's no word as to who will survive and who will die in the move, but there's no confirmation that regulars Danielle Moné Truitt, Rick Gonzalez, and Ainsley Seiger will continue with the drama as of press time.

As it is, "Organized Crime" will likely continue along with its pitch-dark plotlines, which may have contributed to the show's somewhat lower ratings. Hopefully, other negative patterns — such as the drama's frequent and worrisome showrunner turnovers — will become a thing of the past with the move, especially after a SAG-AFTRA strike-induced Season 4 half-season renewal. Time will tell if the show flies on a streaming service – or ultimately fails.