'Law and Order' Season 21: Sam Waterston, 81, returns as Jack McCoy after 11 years

'Since day one, Sam has had perfect pitch when it comes to Jack McCoy as a character,' the executive producer of the show said
PUBLISHED DEC 17, 2021
Sam Waterston attends Oceana's 14th Annual SeaChange Summer Party (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Sam Waterston attends Oceana's 14th Annual SeaChange Summer Party (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

One of the most iconic and renowned stars from NBC's 'Law and Order' is finally making a comeback after eleven years, in the show's 21st season. Sam Waterston will be reprising the role of Jack McCoy. Now 81 years old, Waterston played the role of a district attorney in 16 seasons of 'Law and Order' from 1990 to 2010. 

The executive producer of the show, Dick Wolf, said that he has never been so excited while announcing the cast of a show. Waterston was a part of the show for 16 seasons out of a total of 20 seasons. Speaking of Waterston, Wolf said, "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." 

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Waterston will be returning to the show along with Anthony Anderson, Hugh Dancy, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim and Odelya Halevi and the series will premiere on February 24.

Sam started as McCoy in the fifth season of the series which premiered in 1994. He started appearing as the executive district attorney back in Season 5 and ultimately ended up being the district attorney in the last season which premiered in 2010. It is only after 11 years that the show has revived with its previous cast. 

Sam Waterston attends Oceana's 14th Annual SeaChange Summer Party (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Wolf added, "Sam 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 returning, it shows that the 21st season is merely a continuation of where we left off." 

Anderson played the role of Detective Kevin Bernard in the final three seasons of the show. Currently, he is working on the final season of 'Black-ish' which is airing on ABC. He was partnered with the character of Jeremy Sisto who played the role of Detective Cyrus Lupo. It is not clear if Sisto will be returning to the new season of the show.

Some new characters will be introduced in the upcoming season and they will be played by Hugh Dancy, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim and Odelya Halevi. Waterston was recently seen in HBO's 'The Newsroom' and Netflix's 'Grace and Frankie'. In 2020, he was spotted in the movie 'The Man in the Woods'.

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