‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Facing Huge Shakeup

Things are sure to be changing on the set of Law & Order: Organized Crime as executive producer/showrunner Ilene Chaiken leaves the series after serving for 14 months in the role. Deadline reports Chaiken will be replaced by Barry O’Brien, who will take over as showrunner for the remainder of season 2. O’Brien started on the series as a co-executive producer in November.

“Ilene did a terrific job launching the series and is a gifted writer,” creator Dick Wolf said, per Deadline. “She leaves the show in good hands and we are incredibly grateful for her contributions.”

The sudden change supposedly shouldn’t affect the last five episodes left to be filmed in the ongoing second season. Christopher Meloni stars in the Law & Order spinoff series, reprising his role as Detective Elliot Stabler –– but, this time around, he’s taken over the NYPD’s organized crime task force. Unlike the other shows within Wolf’s cinematic universe, the latest addition to the franchise doesn’t follow the same format with a new case for each episode. Terry Miller, John Polson, Arthur W. Forney, and Peter Jankowski executive produce Law & Order: Organized Crime with Dick Wolf.

Law & Order: Organized Crime returned to the air this week after a long winter break as part of the Thursday night Law & Order lineup on NBC, which now includes the original Law & Order revival starring Anthony Anderson. The network announced the show’s return in September. “Law & Order is quite simply one of the most iconic shows in television history, and the idea of continuing its legacy and partnering with Dick on an all-new season is nothing short of exhilarating,” said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television, and Streaming. “This is great news for NBC as well as TV fans everywhere.”

“The return of the flagship Law & Order series for a pivotal 21st season is a proud moment for Dick and a proud moment for us, his studio partners,” said Pearlena Igbokwe, Chairman, Universal Studio Group. 

Chaiken began overseeing the series in December 2020, taking over for original showrunner Matt Olmstead. Now that she’s been relieved of her Law & Order duties, Chaiken will reportedly focus on developing other stories for Universal Television as part of her overall deal with the studio.