Here's Who Fans Argue Is The Face Of The Original Law & Order

For the better part of its 20 seasons, "Law & Order" was one of the best-loved crime procedurals on the air. Thanks to syndication, DVD box sets, and streaming platforms, the show has remained popular long after its first series' finale aired in 2010. Legions of fans continue to discover, or re-discover, not only the show's gritty, street-level tales of crime and punishment, but also the many memorable characters who were brought to vivid life on the small screen. 

Like so many other shows that enjoyed lengthy runs on television, "Law & Order" saw its share of characters come and go throughout its two-decade tenure. But perhaps more than any show that stayed in the game as long as "Law & Order," series' producers were staggeringly proficient in replacing iconic characters with ones who became just as iconic. Some of those characters are better-loved by fans than others, of course. But if you're looking for one to call the face of the flagship "Law & Order" show, fans used a recent Reddit thread to unofficially tap a pair of long-time "Law & Order" players as being most worthy of the title. And thankfully for the fans, one of them is indeed returning for the upcoming "Law & Order" revival.

It should come as no surprise to "Law & Order" fans that the characters mentioned most in the Reddit thread titled "Which character would you consider the face of the original Law & Order?" are the one-liner-loving Detective Lenny Briscoe (Jerry Orbach), and brilliant, tough-talking DA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), who will be making an appearance on the revival series.

That's certainly how u/FLdancer00 felt. They commented, "I feel like Lenny is the most widely known and when I see his face, I think L&O." Redditor u/The-UrbanSombrero offered a similar take, but posited that it's McCoy who first comes to mind, writing, "I would say most people recognize McCoy for law & Order even if they don't watch." That claim was backed up by u/Bojyo, who said, "It's McCoy... If you ask anyone on the street to name someone from the original law and order chances are they'd name McCoy."

User maraudelle is very much Team McCoy, as well, and they even offered an amusing anecdote as proof of his popularity. "McCoy. Funnily enough I mentioned to my brother the other day that I was currently re-watching the original Law and Order (he has never watched any of the Law and Orders, only seen snippets on TV) and his response was 'Is that the one with McCoy?'" they wrote. 

Like many users, u/Korrocks was torn between the two, posting, "Briscoe is probably the most iconic character, though McCoy is probably up there." There are other names in play, of course, but the consensus is that Briscoe and McCoy are the top choices for Face of "Law & Order" honor, and it's hard to argue that point.