What has actor Sam Waterston been doing since the flagship Law & Order ended?
The answer? Lots of more acting! He portrayed DA Jack McCoy between 1994 through 2010. He ended up guest starring on Special Victims Unit for four episodes in 2000, 2007, 2010, and 2018. Since his exit, he has been taking roles in both television and film.
Between 2012 and 2014, Waterston starred as Charlie Skinner in The Newsroom.
“A newsroom undergoes some changes in its workings and morals as a new team is brought in, bringing unexpected results for its existing news anchor,” the official show description reads.
Waterston is able to show off his comedic chops on Netflix’s Grace & Frankie. He joined the cast in 2015 when the show was created. The series follows two couples of Frankie and Sol and Grace and Robert. In a turn of events, the husbands reveal that they are gay and in love with each other. The women become best friends and end up business partners and roommates. The show is coming to a close with the final season airing later this year. Right in time for Law & Order to launch!
He told Assignment X that he adores television through streaming platforms for one specific reason.
“Well, I love the fact that there aren’t commercials interrupting the shows. I think that’s an absolutely priceless thing. Because it’s a hobby-horse of mine that we’re just being perpetually sold something, all the time. So it’s nice to have a story that’s a relief from that,” he said.
Most recently, he starred as George Schultz in the mini-series The Dropout.
‘Law & Order’ Back on Set!
Since Law & Order is premiering on February 24, the series has wrapped shooting the episode. They returned to New York City and shot it on the exact same sound stage.
Waterston spoke to Variety about returning to portray D.A. Jack McCoy all of these years later.
“One of the wonderful things about doing a television show in New York like this with really juicy parts for visitors is that there’s this extraordinary pool of talent of New York actors,” he said. “So, the hope and expectation is that there will be a wonderful surprise every week. There is a person coming back in the first show, one of my favorite people on Earth. I’m not allowed to tell who that is, but you’ll be glad when you see her.”
We don’t know who the special guest he is referring to just yet. However, we do know that it is not S. Epatha Merkerson. This is because she joined another Dick Wolf franchise. She is currently starring as Sharon Goodwin on Chicago Med since it debuted in 2015. Another person that he is not referring to is Alana De La Garza. She premiered in Law & Order in Season 16 as Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa. She ended up joining the cast of FBI in 2018 as Special Agent Isobel Castille.
“It was totally surreal. Unbelievable,” Waterston added of returning to the set in New York City. “It’s a step back in time. They built the sets in every detail down to the books on the shelves to the linoleum on the floor. You know perfectly well that it wasn’t all being done for you, but you can’t escape the feeling that you’re being given this opportunity to step back in time in your own life.”
