Posted in: Audio Dramas, TV | Tagged: Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Justice System

Law & Order: Criminal Justice System: Nicolazzi on True Crime Podcast

Host Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi (True Conviction) spoke with Bleeding Cool about how her podcast Law & Order Criminal Justice System came to be.

When Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi retired as a prosecutor for the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, she discovered a second career as a host on TV and podcasting. She became the host of Discovery's True Conviction, currently in its third season, and the podcast Anatomy of Murder. The latest tapping of her expertise comes from Wolf Entertainment, the production company behind television's biggest law enforcement franchise, Law & Order, and iHeartPodcasts in a partnership for a new true crime podcast, Law & Order: Criminal Justice System. Its first season will chronicle the fall of the American Mafia in New York City. Nicolazzi spoke to Bleeding Cool about her transition from the law to show business, distinguishing Criminal Justice System from her other shows, the appeal of the true crime genre, culture changes reflected in law enforcement entertainment, and what stuck out to her of all the cases she's covered.

Law & Order: Criminal Justice System Host Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi on Embracing Her Role in Entertainment

Bleeding Cool: When you moved on from being a homicide prosecutor, what made you decide your next step was show business and hosting?

The media found me. It was not what I planned to do, and I thought I would retire as a prosecutor. Still, I was also getting tired, mentally and physically, from doing a lot of the complex cases, specifically homicide, for so many years, and my cases had been covered over time. I was used to speaking to the media that way and when I started to be asked to comment on other cases nationally since many television studios are in New York City, I discovered it was fun. There certainly was a different level of pressure, being not much for me versus talking about a case rather than being in the courtroom. I said, "You know what? Rather than answering questions, I'd like to ask them." It became, "Maybe this is another way to stay involved in a world I care about but with a new path." That's how one thing led to the other, and I shifted into media from the DA's office.

How does your work on Law & Order: Criminal Justice System differ from other shows like 'True Conviction' and 'Anatomy of Murder?'

They're all unique in the sense that 'True Conviction' was television, and it was from the prosecutor's perspective. We were more often used to seeing it from a law enforcement's perspective, specifically, the investigative side of it. Coming from mine, as I had these conversations with Discovery, I said, "We're involved in homicides from, unfortunately, the moment someone is murdered." That is how we came up with the concept of 'True Conviction.'

'Anatomy of Murder' came from my co-host and partner on the show, Scott Weinberger, saying, "Hey, we have these conversations about these cases all the time, so why don't we try a podcast?" We have the same ethos of "We want them to be victim-centric and come at it from both their perspectives," with his background as former law enforcement, then as a journalist, and me as a prosecutor. That's been the format of 'Anatomy of Murder,' which is 190-something episodes strong at this point.

With 'Law & Order,' we examine the criminal justice system and the cases that have helped shape our system, topic by topic. This first season, we decided to focus on the Mafia, so it's topic-specific 'Law & Order.' It is told with what people are used to with storytelling from the Wolf Entertainment team and how they tell stories. Now it's in audio format versus the visual of television, and the big difference is that it's the real stories told by those who have worked these cases and impacted by the crimes.

The true-crime podcast format has been popular for quite some time, and I was wondering, based on your observations, what your biggest pet peeves are of the genre.

I understand why people are drawn to it, and I'll start with that side. People are drawn to true crime for different reasons: there is "the outsider looking in." Hopefully, people who have not experienced it are curious, even though it's horrible. People who have lived it want to see what it's been like for others in similar shoes. It is interesting as a prosecutor to look at these pieces. I think for the public at large, the same, and sometimes for some, it's "What do I do to keep myself safe? What are my takeaways from these stories?" Coming from my background, it has always been we respect the case and most importantly, remember we are talking about human beings who have been deeply impacted, sometimes gone from this earth, because of crimes committed against them, and all the other victims left in their wake being the family members. The most important thing with anything I'm involved in is never losing sight of that.

Concerning narratives with police procedurals, the bulk are entertainment-based. They typically stick to a strict narrative, like when it happens, there's the investigation and resolution, whereas reality's different from that. Do you see a problem with the entertainment side of things? Given the ongoing civil unrest, like the aftermath of George Floyd, combined with how programming often glorifies the field and the more grounded reflection in recent years, do you feel the narrative has been evolving?

It depends on what show you're talking about because they all come at it differently. One of the things that drew me to working with Wolf Entertainment was they came at it from the standpoint of all their scripted series, making it as true to life as possible with that bit of Hollywood flair, which the creative side of their business allows them to do while showing respect for the men and women who work this world. Also, with the understanding that it's not a perfect system and we're not perfect human beings.
When someone does misstep, calling that out or talking about the complexities in these cases is important to me. I believe in our system, and most people in it are doing the best they can and are doing so fairly. Do I think some crossed those lines and sometimes with, less reputable intent and nefarious? I do, but that is few and far between. We must call those things out, and when there have been missteps, we talk about them rather than shy away. I hope transparency leads to trust in our system because then you know it for what it is: the good, bad, and in-between.

Of all the content you've covered across your three podcasts, what was the most shocking detail you ever discovered?

I've seen a lot, and not much shocks me. I was a homicide prosecutor for 17 years in Brooklyn, one of the largest DA's offices in the country. I'll never call one case out over others, but it's in my brain space because each case where someone's lost a life is as horrible to those family members as another. If we're talking about 'Law & Order: Criminal Justice System' season one, we're focusing on the mob and its grip on New York City. Although I've handled murder cases that people within organized crime have been involved in, it's been educational to me as well seeing the spiderweb organized crime was at the time and continues to be amazing to me to see the reach it had at almost every aspect of New York City life for quite a time.

New episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Justice System are released on Thursdays on iHeartRadio. You can check out the first episode below.

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