It’s not every day that a long-running show that seemed like it was over comes back after over 10 years away from the small screen, yet that’s exactly what’s happening with on NBC with the spinoff-spawning crime drama Law & Order. Long-time cast member Sam Waterston, who portrayed Jack McCoy from 1994-2010, is coming back to reprise the character for the revival in Season 21, and fans should be glad to hear he is more than excited about reviving the procedural.
Sam Waterston reflected on reprising his beloved role, and returning to production on Law & Order for the highly-anticipated 21st season, in an interview with TV Insider. The actor opened up about stepping onto a set that was home to him for so many years, and the nostalgic feeling of being surrounded with old and new friends. In his words:
I wasn’t at all expecting to be bowled over, and I was. I was amazed at how great—and strange—it felt to step onto what looked exactly like the old sets, all brand-new, with dear old friends and cool new people.
It’s not surprising to hear that Sam Waterston was “bowled over” when coming onto the set after such a long absence. He is Law & Order’s second longest-running cast member, and that streak is going to continue in the revival. Back in 2018, he expressed interest in appearing in an upcoming revival and fans were definitely happy when they found out Jack McCoy would indeed be returning.
Sam Waterston appeared on Law & Order: SVU in 2018, which marked the last time fans saw Jack McCoy in action (or something resembling that). It will definitely be a treat to see him back after so long, and it will be interesting to know what he’s been up to since SVU. Whatever the details are, Waterston says the stories will be as good as ever, and that fans might want to keep extra pairs of shoes around when watching.
It couldn’t be more timely, and its storytelling is rock-solid as ever. Voices you can trust to tell all sides are always scarce. If we get it right, people will be back throwing their shoes at their TVs and loving it!
Law & Order’s revival will include a slew of returning faces, meaning fans old and new will want to tune in to watch. Along with Sam Waterston, Anthony Anderson will also reprise his role of Detective Kevin Bernard. The series will feature plenty of new faces as well, but it looks like Waterston is already loving the mix of old and new.
Even though not everyone from the original series is able to return, the Law & Order revival will still be something you don’t want to miss. It will be nice seeing Sam Waterston reprise his iconic role and see how he handles the newbies that he’ll be working with. Hopefully down the line even more Law & Order actors reprise their roles, whether it’s in the revival, SVU or Organized Crime. If all the character and cast dynamics spark just as brightly as they did during the original run, this revival could last for a long time all over again.
Season 21 of Law & Order is currently set to premiere on NBC on Thursday, February 24, at 8:00 p.m. ET, officially giving Dick Wolf his third full night of primetime offerings. Be sure and check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what else is debuting between now and then, as well as beyond.
