Sam Waterston Officially Returning for ‘Law & Order’ Revival

Get ready for more legal gymnastics, Jack McCoy style, because Sam Waterston is officially coming back for the Law & Order revival. Dick Wolf and NBC shared the exciting news on Thursday after Odelya Halevi was cast as a new Assistant District Attorney. Waterston is one of the longest-tenured stars in Law & Order history, starring in 16 seasons of the original series and appearing in several spinoffs. McCoy’s most recent on-screen appearance came in a 2018 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode.

Waterston signed on to star in at least one season of the revival. He joins fellow returning Law & Order star Anthony Anderson, who will play Det. Kevin Bernard. The new season will feature franchise newcomers Jeffrey Donovan as a new detective; Hugh Dancy and Halevi as the new Assistant District Attorneys; and Carmyn Manheim as Lt. Kate Dixon.

“Very few casting announcements have ever given me this much pleasure,” Wolf said in a statement to Deadline. “Since day one, Sam has had perfect pitch when it comes to Jack McCoy as a character who both reflects and expands our ability to understand the law. He is the ultimate conscience of the show and I look forward to him emulating the career of New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who served until he was 90. With both Sam and Anthony (Anderson) returning, it shows that the 21st season is merely a continuation of where we left off.”

The Law & Order revival is billed as Season 21. Rick Eid serves as writer and showrunner. It will follow the show’s classic format, telling the stories of the “police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.”

Waterston made his first appearance as McCoy in Law & Order Season 5 and went on to appear in 368 episodes of the show. He also appeared in four SVU episodes, two episodes of the short-lived Law & Order: Trial By Jury, and two episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street. Waterston earned three Emmy nominations for Law & Order. His other credits include Grace and Frankie, On the Basis of Sex, Godless, Miss Sloane, The Newsroom, and Hulu’s upcoming series The Dropout about the Theranos scandal.

Law & Order Season 21 will debut on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, on NBC. Meanwhile, SVU Season 23 returns on Thursday, Jan. 6 at 9 p.m. ET. Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 returns on the same night.