Law & Order: Organized Crime – Ilene Chaiken Out As Showrunner

With NBC & Dick Wolf‘s Christopher Meloni-starring Law & Order: Organized Crime back for the remainder of its second season as of this week, viewers’ attention is fixated on the conclusion to the Stabler (Meloni)-Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) story arc that’s been building since the series premiere. As for what’s to come after, it’s tough to say but we learned earlier tonight that the remainder of the season will no longer have Ilene Chaiken as executive producer/showrunner. After 14 months on the spinoff series, Chaiken will be replaced as showrunner for the remainder of the season by co-executive producer Barry O’Brien (with Deadline Hollywood first reporting the news).

“Ilene did a terrific job launching the series and is a gifted writer,” Wolf said in a statement. “She leaves the show in good hands and we are incredibly grateful for her contributions.” The change in leadership isn’t expected to have an impact on production, with only five more episodes still left to film on the current second season.

Created by Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” now in its second season, follows the detectives of the Organized Crime Control Bureau as they work to dismantle New York City’s most vicious and violent illegal enterprises.

Christopher Meloni stars as Det. Elliot Stabler, who returns to the NYPD after a decade away and must rebuild his life after a devastating personal loss. Meloni first played the role as an original cast member on “Law & Order: SVU.”

Stabler’s sergeant and partner, Ayanna Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt), leads the task force with skillful authority, a vast knowledge of underground crime syndicates and a long-game strategy to take them down from the inside. Observant and deceivingly smart, Jet Slootmaekers (Ainsley Seiger) utilizes her tech expertise and hacking skills to give the team a leg up on striking their target.

Wolf, Chaiken, Fred Berner, Terry Miller, Arthur Forney, and Peter Jankowski are executive producers for this season. Law & Order: Organized Crime is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment.