Why is Sam Waterston leaving Law & Order, Jack McCoy?

Why is Sam Waterston leaving Law & Order and his role of Jack McCoy following tonight’s big episode? We know that the questions are going to be out there and honestly, we understand that.

With this being said, this is also an exit that makes a good bit of sense, all things considered. You are talking here about an industry icon, let alone someone who has spent hundreds of episodes as a part of this world. This is also someone who seems to want other challenges at this point in his life, and being a part of a show with this many episodes may not be sky-high on his priority list.

In the end, we are just glad that Sam allowed Law & Order to have time to put together a proper goodbye to his character so that it could be planned and promoted in advance. We think both McCoy and the viewership each deserve that opportunity to have closure, and the show can then move along from there with a greater sense of peace.

The thing that will be tougher with Waterston’s goodbye is knowing that we have lost another part of the DNA that was there with the original version of the show, similar to what happened when Anthony Anderson departed (though he wasn’t a part of the OG show nearly as long as Sam was). Then again, the producers have always done a good job of rotating in and out various cast members and finding suitable replacements. We know that it isn’t always easy and yet, they continue to find a way to do it.

In other words, there’s a reason why this franchise is still on the air, as they have clearly established themselves as a really well-oiled machine here over the years.

Related – Read more news about Waterston’s replacement in Tony Goldwyn

Are you sad that Sam Waterston is leaving Law & Order, even if it makes sense?

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This article was written by Jessica BunBun.