Law & Order: Organized Crime returns in the 2024 TV schedule, but the fourth season won't just start fresh after where last season ended. The finale back in the spring delivered the tragic death of Detective Jamie Whelan, played by Brent Antonello. While months have passed in the OC universe between Whelan's death and the Season 4 premiere, actress Danielle Moné Truitt shared how that loss will still be affecting the team... and Stabler's focus.
The third season finale (available streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription) featured Stabler telling Benson (appearing as part of an SVU crossover) that he was going back undercover, while Bell, Jet, and Reyes would presumably return to their regular jobs. When I spoke with Danielle Moné Truitt, who plays Sergeant Bell, about Season 4 of OC, I asked if the team is still dealing with Jamie Whelan's death, even months later. The actress shared:
Both Organized Crime and SVU have shown time and again that Stabler isn't exactly great at dealing with grief and loss, while Jet and Reyes have lost a friend and peer. Bell evidently has to help everybody navigate their grief while also dealing with her own. We can only hope that Stabler doesn't push her to her breaking point again, after being undercover for so long! Truitt continued:
As Danielle Moné Truitt said, Christopher Meloni's character attempting to focus on the new case more than anything else is "true Stabler fashion." If there's anybody on OC who can get Stabler to slow down and listen, that person would be Bell, but getting cooperation from him is never a sure thing. So, what methods will she use to try and make changes and prevent another loss like Whelan? Truitt previewed:
Considering all of the trouble caused by Shadowërk in Season 3 (and the crossover episode with SVU), it should be interesting to see how using new technology goes over with the task force. Things will be "a little off," but it remains to be seen if that will be the case in the long term. Law & Order: Organized Crime recruited Breaking Bad and The X-Files alum John Shiban as new showrunner, and Danielle Moné Truitt only had good things to say about him as the Season 4 boss.
Law & Order: Organized Crime returns on Thursday, January 18 at 10 p.m. ET for the Season 4 premiere, called "Memory Lane." According to the episode description, Stabler will have to face changes at home and at work as he surfaces from his latest undercover gig, while Bell hires the AI advisor and Jet and Reyes struggle with the death of Whelan.
As usual, OC closes a full night of L&O action in primetime. Law & Order, which welcomes a new detective in Season 23 following the departure of Jeffrey Donovan as Frank Cosgrove, returns on January 18 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the premiere of Law & Order: SVU's milestone 25th season at 9 p.m., all on NBC.