Sam Waterston to Exit “Law & Order” as Tony Goldwyn Joins as New District Attorney

Anna Lazarus Caplan

February 2, 2024 at 2:01 p.m.·2 min read

Waterston has played Jack McCoy in more than 400 episodes since 1994, earning a SAG Award and multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work on the long-running NBC procedural

<p>Will Hart/NBC; Amy Sussman/Getty</p> — Will Hart/NBC; Amy Sussman/Getty

Sam Waterston is exiting Law & Order, and an actor with presidential bona fides is joining the series moving forward.

NBC announced on Friday that Scandal alum Tony Goldwyn will be joining the long-running crime drama as its beloved star steps away from the series after 30 years and more than 400 episodes in character.

Waterston, 83, portrayed iconic District Attorney Jack McCoy from the NBC procedural's fifths season in 1994 through its initial cancellation in 2010. His final episode will air on Feb. 22.

During his tenure as DA McCoy, Waterston won a SAG Award and was acknowledged with multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations.

*Jessica Burstein/NBCU Sam Waterston on Law & Order in 1996*

Goldwyn, 63, will be joining Law & Order as an as-yet-unnamed District Attorney alongside series regulars Hugh Dancy, Camryn Manheim, Odelya Halevi, Mehcad Brooks and Reid Scott.

<p>Jason Mendez/Getty</p> — Jason Mendez/Getty

Goldwyn is best known for playing President Fitzgerald Grant on Scandal opposite Kerry Washington 2012 to 2018.

The actor also had a breakout role in 1990's Ghost as the scheming swindling friends of Patrick Swayze's Sam Wheat and his wife Molly, played by Demi Moore. He also appeared in the 2018 Broadway production of Network starring Bryan Cranston.

Goldwyn is also an accomplished director, having helmed A Walk on the Moon, The Last Kiss, Someone Like You, Conviction and the upcoming feature Ezra.

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Law & Order airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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