Anthony Anderson is officially returning for NBC’s Law & Order revival, making him the first original star to sign on. The iconic crime procedural first ran from 1990 to 2010, though it seemed like it could go on forever. In covering cases from both sides of the law – police and prosecutors – Law & Order had a virtually bottomless well of stories to pull from. However, it was cancelled after 20 seasons when it was just on the cusp of making television history. Now NBC looks to rectify that with a season 21, which was officially announced in September.
Law & Order will officially return next year, and it’s expected to resume its tried-and-true procedural format. Creator Dick Wolf is on board as a producer, while Rick Eid serves as showrunner. When Law & Order season 21 was officially announced, it was said cast members from the show’s original run would return in some capacity. Up until now, though, the only person confirmed to star in Law & Order was Jeffrey Donovan, of Burn Notice fame.
Now Law & Order is set to welcome back a familiar face. Per Variety, Anthony Anderson will reprise his role as Detective Kevin Bernard in season 21, carrying out a one-season contractual agreement. Additionally, Hugh Dancy has been cast as a new assistant district attorney. This marks Dancy’s grand return to NBC after starring on Hannibal for three seasons, though he’s since appeared on other television shows like Homeland and The Good Fight.
Anderson previously confirmed he’d spoken to Wolf about returning for Law & Order season 21, so his official casting isn’t too surprising. He was one of the last newcomers to join the show in its original run, boarding in season 18. One has to wonder if his character’s partner, Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) will also return for the Law & Order revival; if he doesn’t, Bernard could perhaps mention him to give an idea of where he is now. In fact, it’ll also just be interesting to see where Bernard has been in the years since Law & Order came to an end.
With Law & Order season 21 scheduled to premiere in early 2022, there will surely be more casting announcements in the coming weeks. Fans of the original show will likely hope to hear that those like Sam Waterston and S. Epatha Merkerson will return, though at this moment, nothing is certain. At the very least, the Law & Order revival already has a nice mix of old and new characters, and it’ll be exciting to see how they all end up fitting together.
Law & Order season 21 premieres Thursday, February 24 on NBC.
