The long wait for the world of Law & Order is nearly over in the 2024 TV schedule, and Organized Crime will return in the wake of the death of one of their own. The Season 4 premiere will see Stabler returning from an undercover gig while Bell brings in a new advisor, with Jet and Reyes facing struggles of their own. While the task force members are no strangers to rising to challenges, they'll do so in Season 4 with John Shiban as new showrunner. Danielle Moné Truitt, who plays Sergeant Ayanna Bell, opened up about what the former Breaking Bad producer/writer/director brings to the show.
John Shiban is actually the sixth person to take on the showrunner role for Law & Order: Organized Crime, and he comes to the franchise's newest installment with plenty of TV experience. In addition to Breaking Bad, he has written, directed, and produced series ranging from The X-Files to Supernatural to Ozark, to name just a few. When I spoke with Danielle Moné Truitt about OC Season 4, I noted his work on Breaking Bad and The X-Files in particular among his many TV credits, and she shared what he has brought behind the scenes to Season 4:
I feel like our scripts are very grounded this season. I think because of those other shows he was on, I think he brings a bit of that vibe to our show as well. It's network television, so it's going to be what it is, but I do think he brings just a little more gravitas to the world that we're in. And so I'm appreciating that. I've only read three of his scripts so far, because we're about to start Episode 4 soon.
Don't expect Law & Order: Organized Crime to go full Breaking Bad when it comes what can be shown on cable TV vs. NBC, but fans can evidently count on more "grounded" episodes in the new season. We'll all have to tune in to see exactly what these changes entail, but Truitt went on to explain what won't be changed under Shiban's guidance as showrunner:
I've read three of his scripts, I've liked the scripts. I've liked that he hasn't tried to change the characters or throw in stuff that's like, 'What? What is happening?' [laughs] It seems like he's watched the previous seasons. He's kind of in tune with who these characters are, and he's writing based on that. So I appreciate that.
A little extra gravitas in 2024 doesn't mean that OC won't feel like the same show with the same characters. When I asked if "Bell is still Bell, Stabler is still Stabler," Danielle Moné Truitt confirmed by saying "Very much so." That's not to say that they'll all be back to business as usual in the first episode of the new year in the aftermath of how Season 3 ended, though.
Called "Memory Lane," the first episode of Season 4 will involve Stabler facing changes at home and at work in the wake of a return from a dangerous undercover assignment. (It remains to be seen if this is the assignment he was referring to at the end of Season 3 when saying goodbye to SVU's Benson.)
For her part, Bell will hire an advisor with a potentially revolutionary AI tech program. As for Jet and Reyes, the loss of Jamie is still hard on them. I have to wonder if it will be particularly hard on Jet, since her last conversation with him before he died involved an "I love you." Personally, I'd love to see more of Bell and Jet together after some of Truitt's comments last season.
John Shiban also isn't the only Breaking Bad alum joining Organized Crime in the new year. Dean Norris, who portrayed Hank Schrader on the hit AMC drama, will play Randall Stabler, Elliot's older brother who presumably is a little less preoccupied with minerals than Norris' Breaking Bad character. Norris had a message about working with Christopher Meloni, but it's not clear at this point just how much of Randall fans will see.
Fortunately, the wait to see the task force back in action is nearly over. Tune in to NBC on Thursday, January 18 at 10 p.m. ET for the Season 4 premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime, following the Season 25 premiere of SVU at 9 p.m. and Season 23 premiere of Law & Order at 8 p.m. Also, be sure to check back with CinemaBlend for more from Danielle Moné Truitt ahead of the premiere!
