Some characters appear on a show for so long that they become a permanent fixture and fans forgetthey can leave at any time. Such was the case withLaw and Order’s Jack McCoy, who had been on the show for close to three decades in over 400 episodes, championing the good fight. McCoy made his “last dance” inLaw and OrderSeason 23Episode 5 by going up against the mayor who abused his powers to keep his son from being prosecuted.This final case was befitting for McCoy who had spent a significant part of his life in the halls of justice. But at some point, he had slowed down for various reasons.Seeing him fired up like he was before for one final time induced strong feelings for fans who had seen him at work since the 1990s.
The pivotal episode saw the DA’s office take on a case of a woman who had been murdered in Central Park and their investigations led them to the mayor. The mayor intended to keep this story from getting out and applied every weapon in his arsenal to keep the DA’s office silent. In a way, the mayor’s threats lit the fire that McCoy needed, and he took over the case, knowing this was his last hurrah, and he was leaving as he had entered: unbiased pursuit of justice. The DA’s office racked the much-deserved win, but the joy was shortlived, especially for DA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) when he learned that McCoy had tendered his resignation.
Law and Ordergave McCoy a befitting send-offin a genre where writers are known to go to extremes for shock value, especially when they’re sure that the character will not be making a return. Having McCoy take the lead in this case, win for the victim, and walk out of the courthouse with this as his last memory of the work he’d spent years doing was a great way to end the character’s journey.
What’s Next for ‘Law and Order’ After Sam Waterston’s Exit?
In his farewell message posted onLaw and Ordersocial media channelsSam Waterstonreflected on his time on the show and thanked the creatives behind it for a great run. He was also excited to see where life took him next. ‘‘The time has come for me to move on and take Jack McCoy with me. There’s sadness in leaving, but I’m just too curious about what’s next. An actor doesn’t want to let himself get too comfortable," he said in a statement. It was announced thatwith Waterston’s exit,Tony Goldwyn(Scandal) would replace himas District Attorney Nicholas Baxter. Waterston addressed the fans one last time after his final episode aired.
“Dear friends, no one not in my situation can appreciate the sadness of this parting,” he said. “To this place and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived for a quarter of a century and gone from a young to an old man. If 25 or 30 years doesn’t matter, then nothing matters at all and that’s what this has been. This is just amazing, and I have had a privilege that practically nobody in show business has, to be involved over that long period of time with different people but the same community.”
New episodes ofLaw and Orderair Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Past episodes are available to watch on Peacock.
Law and Order
A murder (usually adapted from current events), is tracked from two separate vantage points. The first half of the show follows an investigation of a crime by the police, the second half follows the prosecution of the same crime in court.
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