‘Law & Order’ Revival: ‘Burn Notice’ Alum Jeffrey Donovan Cast as Lead

Jeffrey Donovan at Sicario Premiere
Rich Fury/Getty Images

The Law & Order revival has found its new lead as Fargo actor Jeffrey Donovan has joined the cast, as first reported by Variety.

Donovan is set to play an NYPD detective on the upcoming series, which is returning to NBC for its 21st season after originally ending its run in 2010 after 450-plus episodes. Dick Wolf and Rick Eid are behind the reboot, which will once again revolve around “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.”

According to Deadline, several Law & Order alums are expected to feature in the new series, with Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson apparently in talks to return. Anderson played Detective Kevin Bernard in the long-running procedural, while Waterson starred as Jack McCoy.

Speaking on the Rachael Ray Show last month, Anderson said, “I did have a conversation with Dick Wolf. I will just say that. So, we’ll see what the future holds.”

Donovan is best known for playing Michael Westen in the USA Network spy drama Burn Notice, which ran for seven seasons. His other TV credits include the second season of FX drama Fargo, the Hulu series Shut Eye, and the short-lived USA Network crime drama Touching Evil. He’s also starred in films such as The Changeling, Sicario, Hitch, and Wrath of Man.

Law & Order is produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. Wolf, Eid, Arthur W. Forney, and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.

The upcoming revival marks the third show in the Law & Order franchise currently airing on NBC. Law & Order: SVU recently premiered its 23rd season on the network, while Law & Order: Organized Crime just debuted its second installment.

Law & Order, Season 21, TBA, NBC