The Law & Order Actor Everyone's Been Waiting For Is Officially Joining The Revival
Ever since the announcement that the original "Law & Order" series will be coming back to television in 2022, fans of the Dick Wolf-led franchise have been eager to find out more info about the cast setup for Season 21. In recent weeks, most of the news around the reboot has centered on new characters.
In early November, TVLine reported that former "Burn Notice" star Jeffrey Donovan would be joining the cast of the reboot in a new role, while later reports also added former "Hannibal" star Hugh Dancy to the growing list of new characters (via Deadline). Just last week, Camryn Manheim was also added to the cast (via Deadline), despite having previously played three different characters during the series's original run, and Deadline also reported yesterday that Odelya Halevi has joined the cast as the seventh female assistant district attorney in the history of the franchise.
While new cast announcements are certainly exciting for fans of the series, most veteran fans are probably more interested in hearing which familiar faces are expected to return. In November, Deadline revealed that Anthony Anderson would be returning to play Detective Kevin Bernard, a role which he previously held during Seasons 18, 19, and 20. At the time, Sam Waterston was said to be in negotiations to reprise his role as District Attorney Jack McCoy, but things have been quiet on that front for a bit.
Today we finally know for certain if we're going to see Waterston return to the role in Season 21.
Sam Waterston has officially joined the cast
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sam Waterston is officially confirmed to reprise his role as Jack McCoy in Season 21 of "Law & Order." With his role in the upcoming season, Waterston will mark a total of 17 seasons with "Law & Order."
He first began portraying Jack McCoy in Season 5, Episode 1 ("Second Opinion") and appeared in all subsequent seasons of the original series (via IMDb). He also appeared as the character in two episodes of the short-lived 2005 TV series "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" and in four episodes of "Law & Order: SVU." Audiences last saw McCoy in a Season 19 episode of "Law & Order: SVU," which aired nearly eight years after the original series was originally canceled (via IMDb). In recent years, Waterston has also played a series regular role on Netflix's "Grace & Frankie," in which he portrays Sol Bergstein, alongside Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Martin Sheen (via IMDb). "Grace and Frankie" is set to air its final season next year (via The Hollywood Reporter), so it would seem this "Law & Order" reboot is right on time for Waterston.
The Season 21 premiere of "Law & Order" is set to air on NBC at 8 p.m. on February 24, 2022, after which time the episode will be available for streaming on Peacock (via IMDb).