'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." 

RELATED ARTICLES

'Law & Order: SVU' Season 24: Release date, spoilers and all about NBC crime thriller

'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' gets renewed for Season 21, breaks record for longest-running primetime drama

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'.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Warwick Davis, one of the returning characters shared that the series remains faithful to books
1 hour ago
Matt Duffer didn't seem too confident about their chances as he weighed on the emotional finale
2 hours ago
Netflix show's faithful believe in one explanation that has been doing the rounds
3 hours ago
From Cooper's fiancee to TL Norris, we look at names likely to kick the bucket in season 2
4 hours ago
HBO Max dropped off a 90-second teaser of episode 1 to set the tone for what to expect
5 hours ago
Netflix teases an early surprise for ‘Bridgerton’ fans, unlocking Season 4’s first episode weeks ahead through a global masquerade livestream.
10 hours ago
Ryan Condal hints at a defined endgame for ‘House of the Dragon,’ teasing that the Targaryen saga may be closer to its final act than fans expect.
11 hours ago
Fans spot a chilling season one Easter egg that appears to foreshadow ‘Stranger Things’ dark and divisive finale.
12 hours ago
A familiar face from Grey’s Anatomy’s earliest days returns in season 22, hinting at major fallout and unresolved history
13 hours ago
'Stranger Things' finally wrapped up it's ten year saga on Netflix, however few questions remain unanswered
1 day ago