LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME Composer Ruth Barrett on Crafting the Show’s Score and the Just-Released Season 1 Soundtrack

(Photo Courtesy of Ruth Barrett.)

From the start, LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME was a different kind of LAW & ORDER series.

Yes, the show centered on Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni)—who spent a dozen seasons on LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT—but the show was designed to tell longer arcing stories rather than the more episodic tales of the other series within the L&O universe. The show also had a different look, with none of the signature “dun dun”s, and a visceral, often gut-wrenching (or heartbreaking) score.

Now, that score has helped OC reach a new milestone for the franchise: its first publicly released soundtrack. The 14-track album—which is now available for purchase, as well as streaming on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, and more—was crafted by the U.K.-based composer Ruth Barrett (whose credits include THE TERMINAL LIST, SANDITON, and BLOODLANDS), who has been with the show from the start.

Here, Barrett talks about finding the right sound for ORGANIZED CRIME, the release of season 1’s soundtrack, changing the music for the arcs, and more. Read more