BY ETHAN MARSHALL
The new “Law & Order” spinoff series, “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” came to Port Washington to film at Louie’s Grill & Liquors.
Filming took place at the seafood restaurant on Feb. 18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A location assistant with Universal Television and Wolf Films, which produce the show, said in a letter to nearby residents and business owners that the filming would take place at the restaurant, with the parking lot at the North Hempstead Town Dock used as a base camp.
The scene filmed featured actor Dylan McDermott’s character having dinner with friends. McDermott, who may be most-known for his roles in four seasons of “American Horror Story” as well as his Golden Globe Award-winning performance as Bobby Donnell in “The Practice,” has been cast as one of the main characters for the latest spinoff from series creator Dick Wolf.
Louie’s was founded in 1905 by Louis Zwerlein and originally called Kare Killer. It began as a floating bar before moving to the town dock and transitioning to a seafood eatery after the advent of Prohibition in 1920. Eventually, the restaurant moved from the dock to Main Street, expanding in 1954 and undergoing renovation in 2002.
In an email to Newsday, the show’s series locations manager, Dennis Voskov, explained why Louie’s was chosen for an interior shoot.
“Louie’s is a great looking space that made sense for our scene,” Voskov said. “It both has an upscale quality while retaining local hangout charm. I used Louie’s for a movie about 10 years ago and remembered it as being a great experience. The same was true this time around.”
Voskov has also acted as the location manager for the films “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Worth,” served an assistant location manager for the film “The Fate of the Furious” and the TV series “Blue Bloods,” “Mozart in the Jungle” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” as well as the CBS miniseries “When They See Us.”
Louie’s is no stranger to use as a filming location, having appeared in the 2000 comedy film “Meet the Parents,” starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.
“Law & Order: Organized Crime” will see Christopher Meloni returning as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler, his character for the first 12 seasons of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” According to NBC, Stabler comes out of retirement to take on the most dangerous crime syndicate in New York City.
“After a devastating loss that rocks him to his core, Stabler must rebuild his life and career in an evolving criminal justice system, facing his past and working to making things right,” NBC’s website says about the series.
In addition to Meloni and McDermott, the main cast will also include Tamara Taylor, who previously played Dr. Camille Saroyan in 223 episodes of “Bones,” Danielle Moné Truitt and Ainsley Seiger. The series is set to premiere on April 1 as the second part of a crossover event with “Law & Order: SVU.”
“Law & Order: Organized Crime” will be the seventh “Law & Order” spin-off series. Among the more popular series are the titular “Law & Order,” which aired from 1990 to 2010, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” which ran from 2001 to 2011 and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which premiered in 1999 and continues to run.
