Law & Order: Organized Crime entered the third arc of Season 2 by showcasing Mykelti Williamson’s Preston Webb as one of the biggest threats to Stabler, and Webb’s Marcy Killers organization is getting in the way of his best intentions. Williamson was also a familiar face for fans of another show set in the same universe, thanks to a recurring role on Chicago P.D. as Denny Woods. Speaking with CinemaBlend, he shared the perks of working on multiple shows in the expansive Wolf Entertainment shared universe, founded by super-producer Dick Wolf.
Mykelti Williamson appeared in fourteen episodes of Chicago P.D. between late Season 4 and the eventful end of Season 5 as Denny Woods (which you can revisit with a Peacock subscription). He’s currently still going strong as Preston Webb on Law & Order: Organized Crime, although there is “collateral damage” on the way. When we spoke recently, he explained what it’s like working on OC compared to P.D. as his other show in the nine-show Dick Wolf TV universe:
You know, it's the Wolf family. Everybody here tries their best, everyone gives their best effort to raise the bar to the highest level. I mean, the same producer from Chicago P.D. is now here. His name is Terry Miller. So Terry Miller brings his sensibilities with him. Then you've got Chris Meloni and his standard, how high he raises the bar. Then Jonathan Strauss who oversees all the casting and the characterization, he's that producer. And it's just a lot of fun. It reminds me of the Chicago P.D. experience, but then it still has its own personality.
At this point, there are no fewer than nine shows set in the same Wolf TV universe, with the Law & Orders and One Chicago series on NBC, and the FBIs over on CBS. Some of the key names in the shows are obvious, with Mykelti Williamson and Chris Meloni (who of course started on Law & Order: SVU) appearing in front of the camera, but there are plenty of others with important roles who aren't on screen.
Williamson mentioned people behind the scenes who fans might not be aware of, and they’ve worked on even more shows than OC and P.D. Terry Miller has been credited as an executive producer on FBI as well as Chicago P.D. and Law & Order: Organized Crime, while casting director and producer Jonathan Strauss is credited for all of the One Chicago shows – including the short-lived Chicago Justice – and all three current Law & Order shows on NBC, as well as all three FBI shows on CBS.
Then there are people like Chicago Fire and FBI: International’s Derek Haas and FBI and Law & Order’s Rick Eid, who have worked as showrunners on multiple series in the nine-show universe, so it’s no wonder that Williamson refers to working on these series as part of the “Wolf family.” Organized Crime reminds him of working on P.D., but it’s not P.D. 2.0.
Of course, Denny Woods and Preston Webb aren’t exactly interchangeable, although both are characters who cause problems for the heroes of the stories. Woods is presumably gone for good from Chicago P.D., but you can continue seeing Webb in action (for better or worse for Nova in particular) with new episodes of Law & Order: Organized Crime on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following Law & Order: SVU at 9 p.m. Don’t forget to check out our spring TV finale schedule for when all nine Dick Wolf TV shows are wrapping their current seasons.
