Law And Order: SVU Reveals First Look At Sam Waterston's Return To The Franchise

Law and Order: SVU is the show that just keeps on going. Now in its 19th season, SVU is the only show of the Law and Order franchise still going. Luckily for fans of the franchise as a whole, SVU is bringing a familiar face into the mix later this year. Sam Waterston of the original Law and Order will reprise his role as attorney Jack McCoy, and a first look at him in action has finally hit the web. Take a look!

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In this first look (courtesy of TVLine on Twitter), we see Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy chatting with Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson. It's difficult to gauge exactly what's going on with just this quick glimpse, but Olivia doesn't exactly look thrilled with whatever is happening. Of course, SVU isn't exactly a show that regularly features people looking especially happy while on the job. Every episode does open with the reminder that "sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous."

Assuming Jack McCoy is returning to serve in his District Attorney capacity, he and Olivia should theoretically be on the same side of a given case. That said, SVU has pitted detectives against District Attorneys (and Assistant District Attorneys) in the past, and we shouldn't take it for granted that Jack and Olivia will be getting along in the episode, which will air on Wednesday, February 7 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

The episode will be called "The Undiscovered Country" -- no, not that Undiscovered Country -- and follow the detectives after an infant goes missing. The folks at the Special Victims Unit ultimately take sides in a court case revolving around a family's right-to-die stance. ADA Barba interferes with the case in a way that puts the entire office of the District Attorney in jeopardy, which is presumably what brings Jack McCoy into the matter.

Sam Waterston's upcoming appearance on SVU in Season 19 won't be the first time he appeared on the Law and Order spinoff. In fact, he played a part on no fewer than three episodes of SVU in its earlier days. That said, his latest appearance on SVU was back in Season 11, and a lot has happened since. Longtime members of the cast have departed. It should be interesting to see how Jack McCoy interacts with the newer members of the SVU squad. Fortunately, we don't have to wait too much longer to see for ourselves.

Be sure to tune in to NBC on Wednesday, February 7 at 9 p.m. ET to catch Sam Waterston back on Law and Order: SVU as Jack McCoy. Another special episode of SVU is in the works that should be worth checking out as well. For more viewing options, be sure to take a look at our 2018 midseason TV premiere guide. If streaming is also your style, take a look at our Netflix premiere schedule and Amazon Prime rundown.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).