It’s been over a decade since Dick Wolf’s attempt to bring the "dun-dun" rhythm to the West Coast fizzled out, and honestly, the cast of Law & Order Los Angeles still feels like one of the biggest missed opportunities in procedural history. You usually see these spin-offs find their footing and run for a decade. Special Victims Unit is practically a permanent fixture of the American living room. Criminal Intent had a healthy run. But LOLA? It barely made it past the twenty-episode mark before NBC pulled the plug in 2011. Looking back, it wasn’t for a lack of talent. The roster was stacked with Oscar nominees and seasoned veterans who brought a gritty, cinematic weight to the palm-fringed crime scenes of Southern California.
L.A. is a weird place for a Law & Order show. The original series thrives on the claustrophobia of New York—the gray sidewalks, the steam from the vents, the crowded subways. Transferring that vibe to the sprawling, sun-drenched freeways of Los Angeles required a different kind of energy. The creators tried to anchor it with heavy hitters, and for a minute, it actually worked.
The Heavy Hitters: Skeet Ulrich and Corey Stoll
When the show launched, the central duo was Detective Rex Winters and Detective Tomas "TJ" Jaruszalski. Skeet Ulrich played Winters. You probably remember him from Scream or more recently Riverdale. He brought a sort of grounded, stoic fatigue to the role of a former Marine turned cop. His partner, TJ, played by Corey Stoll, was the local guy who knew the city's underbelly. Stoll is one of those actors who is everywhere now—House of Cards, Ant-Man, Billions—but back then, he was the rising star with the sharpest intensity on the screen.
The dynamic was classic Law & Order. One cop is the moral compass, the other is a bit more cynical. But the writers did something risky. Midway through the season, they actually killed off Ulrich’s character. It was a shocker. Usually, in this franchise, characters just "transfer" or "retire" to make room for a new actor. Killing a lead during a mid-season "creative overhaul" was a sign that the network was panicking about ratings.
Alfred Molina and the Prosecutor Shuffle
The "Order" half of the cast of Law & Order Los Angeles was where things got really interesting. Alfred Molina signed on as Deputy District Attorney Ricardo Morales. Getting an actor of Molina's caliber was a massive coup. He’s a guy who can play a Bond villain or a Shakespearean lead with equal ease. In the first half of the season, he stayed behind the desk. But when the show underwent its massive reboot in early 2011, they did something bizarre: they had his character resign as a prosecutor and return to his former job as a police detective.
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It was a bit of a stretch, narratively speaking. One day he’s arguing in front of a judge, the next he’s back in a windbreaker chasing suspects with Corey Stoll. Despite the weirdness of the career change, Molina was magnetic. He brought a high-IQ, weary sensibility to the investigation side that the show desperately needed.
Terrence Howard was the other big name. He played DDA Jonah "Joe" Dekker. Howard was coming off the massive success of Hustle & Flow and hadn’t yet started his long run on Empire. He played Dekker with a certain arrogance and flair that felt very "L.A. Lawyer." He wasn't the humble public servant we saw in Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy; he was a shark. He moved through the courtroom like he owned the building.
The Supporting Players and the LAPD Brass
Every Law & Order needs its commander, the person who stands in the doorway of the squad room and tells the detectives they have twenty-four hours to find a lead. In Los Angeles, that was Lieutenant Arleen Gonzales, played by Rachel Ticotin. She was the glue. Ticotin has a long history in film (Total Recall, Con Air), and she played Gonzales with a quiet, firm authority that didn't need to shout to be heard.
Then you had the DDA's office staff. Regina Hall played DDA Evelyn Price, and Megan Boone (who later became a household name on The Blacklist) played DDA Lauren Stanton. They were often sidelined by the star power of Molina and Howard, but they provided the necessary procedural backbone.
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Why the Chemistry Never Quite Clicked
If you look at the cast of Law & Order Los Angeles on paper, it should have been a twenty-year hit. You had Oscar-caliber talent, a proven format, and a city filled with endless "ripped from the headlines" material—celebrity scandals, gang wars, Hollywood corruption.
So what went wrong?
Basically, the show suffered from an identity crisis. The "creative overhaul" in the middle of the season confused the audience. People tuned in one week to see Skeet Ulrich and the next week he was gone. Then Molina changed jobs. It felt like the show was being rebuilt while the car was still driving down the 405.
There was also the issue of the "vibe." Law & Order is traditionally cold. Los Angeles is hot. The show struggled to find a visual language that felt like the franchise but also felt like L.A. By the time they figured it out, the viewers had moved on to other things. It’s a shame, because the performances, particularly from Stoll and Howard, were top-tier.
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The Legacy of the LOLA Cast
Most of these actors didn't skip a beat when the show was canceled. Corey Stoll’s career exploded. Terrence Howard became the face of a television dynasty on Fox. Alfred Molina went back to being one of the most respected character actors in the world.
But for fans of the franchise, Law & Order: LA remains a "cult" season. It’s the one people go back to on streaming services to see "what could have been." It represents a time when NBC was willing to spend huge money on a cast just to see if the Law & Order brand was invincible. Turns out, even the best actors need a stable script and a consistent vision to keep a show alive.
Navigating the Series Today
If you're looking to revisit the work of the cast of Law & Order Los Angeles, there are a few things you should keep in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch in Order, but Expect the Shift: The break occurs after episode 8. When you hit episode 9, the show feels like a different series. Don't let it throw you; just treat it as "Season 1.5."
- Focus on the Guest Stars: Like its New York predecessor, LOLA featured incredible guest talent. Look for early appearances by actors who are now huge, as well as veterans like Jay Karnes and J.K. Simmons.
- Compare the Legal Styles: Watch how Terrence Howard's Dekker handles a courtroom compared to Molina's Morales. The contrast between Howard’s theatricality and Molina’s groundedness is the highlight of the series.
- Check the "Ripped from the Headlines" Accuracy: Many episodes were based on real L.A. events, including the "Bling Ring" robberies and the OJ Simpson-esque celebrity trials. Researching the real cases alongside the episodes adds a layer of depth to the performances.
The show might have been a short-lived experiment, but the talent involved was undeniable. It serves as a reminder that in Hollywood, even a perfect cast isn't a guaranteed shield against the chaos of network television.
To truly appreciate the nuances of the Los Angeles spin-off, start by tracking the career trajectories of Corey Stoll and Terrence Howard immediately following the 2011 cancellation. You'll see how the intensity they brought to the LAPD precincts directly informed the powerhouse roles they took on in House of Cards and Empire. Pay close attention to the episode "Silver Lake"—it’s widely considered the peak of the cast's chemistry and a glimpse into the show LOLA could have become if it had been given a second season to breathe.