Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Confirms Sam Waterston’s Return for Season 22
It’s official: Law & Order’s Jack McCoy will return for another season.
According to our sister site Deadline, Sam Waterston, who previously inked a one-year deal to return as the beloved DA for Season 21, has been confirmed for Season 22. He is the longest-serving cast member of NBC’s flagship series, with 18 seasons under his belt.
This comes after Anthony Anderson, who had also signed a one-year contract, did not renew it and will not be returning as Det. Kevin Bernard next season.
Hugh Dancy (Hannibal, The Path) stars as senior prosecutorial assistant Nathan Price, Oldelya Halevi (Good Trouble) as ADA Samantha Maroun, Camryn Manheim (The Practice) as Lt. Kate Dixon, and Jeffrey Donovan as Bernard’s partner, Det. Frank Cosgrove, in the revival, which was renewed for Season 22 in May.
There’s no indication yet on how Anderson’s Bernard will be written out of the series or who will take his place.
Showrunner Rick Eid previously opened up about his plans to do more with the series pending a renewal. “I’m excited about next season,” he told TVLine. “I think next year, we’ll get an opportunity to dig even deeper into the character stuff, which really excites me.”
Waterston, a veteran actor, producer, and director, will age 82 this year, thus Wolf’s dream is highly likely to come true, especially if he continues to appear in future seasons. He and fellow returning cast member Anthony Anderson signed only a one-year deal for the revival, thus he has already extended his contract with the programme, whereas Anderson has chosen not to do so. With Wolf and writer-showrunner Rick Eid at the helm, it’s feasible that the show will run for many more seasons, giving fans more opportunities to witness Waterston’s McCoy.