The original “Law & Order” is back, and fans have no one else to thank but themselves for the revival.
Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson – two primary actors of the original series – sat down at a Television Critics Association panel last week to address why, after 12 years, they decided to join the new reboot.
Originally airing from 1990 - 2010, "Law & Order" created a unique crime drama formula of showing how detectives solve a crime, and then how the lawyers prosecute it. It obviously proved to be successful, running for 20 years, and then having its name tagged to a number of franchised shows on NBC – "Law & Order: SVU," "Law & Order: Organized Crime," and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."
But despite those successful offshoots, the syndication, streaming, and on-demand desire for the original series remained very high, so vc it seemed almost inevitable when the revival was announced in September of last year.
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Having secured Waterston to return as District Attorney Jack McCoy, according to SlashFilm, fans got more great news as there are plans to add other original cast members/characters to the reboot. Creator Dick Wolf will also return, along with writer and showrunner Rick Eid.
According to The Wrap, Waterston did take some nudging to agree to come back though.
“[Wolf] was talking about it five years ago,” Waterston said at the panel, “and I don't think he's ever stopped talking about it. One of the reasons that we're back is because of his persistence and determination — and his conviction that it was a terrible mistake to stop in the first place."
"The other reason we're coming back," Waterston insisted, "is because we stopped making the shows, but the audience never stopped watching them. The audience's persistent appetite for 'Law & Order' is a major reason why we're back, so thanks to them."
Anderson, on the other hand, reached out to Wolf as soon as he heard the rumors. "I called Dick once I found out the show was coming back and he was excited to hear from me,” Anderson said. “Ending eight seasons on 'Black-ish' and coming back to an iconic show like 'Law & Order' was a no-brainer for me. Leaving one great show to go back to another show? I jumped at the opportunity to do it."
So far, the announced cast will also include Hugh Dancy as ADA Nolan Price, Odelya Halevi as ADA Samantha Maroun, Camryn Manheim as Lieutenant Kate Dixon, and Jeffrey Donovan as Detective Frank Cosgrove.
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The “Law & Order” return premieres Thursday, February 24, at 8 p.m. on NBC, and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
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