‘Law & Order’ Promo for Sam Waterston’s Final Episode: ‘It’s Been a Hell of a Ride’ (VIDEO)

Meredith Jacobs February 9, 10:22 am

Law & Order is saying goodbye to Sam Waterston in just a couple of short weeks — his final episode as Jack McCoy airs February 22 — and while we don’t know much, we do know we’re going to miss him.

NBC aired a promo for the episode titled “Last Dance,” and it’s all about McCoy over the years. “As District Attorney, I’ve tried to act fairly and ethically,” he says. “It’s been a hell of a ride.” It’s worth watching, so check it out above.

The news broke of Waterston’s impending exit on February 2. “Greetings, you wonderful people. It’s a pleasure to talk directly like this to the backbone of Law & Order’s absolutely amazing audience. The time has come for me to move on and take Jack McCoy with me,” Waterston said in a statement at the time. “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. I’m more grateful to you than I can say. L&O’s continuing and amazing long run, along with its astounding come-back, is all thanks to you and to Dick Wolf, but for whose vision, patience, perseverance, and unique combination of creative and business talents, none of this would have happened. I feel very blessed. I hope to see you all on the flip side.”

Waterston has appeared in over 400 episodes of Law & Order since joining the show in Season 4 in 1994. (He’s also appeared on SVU, Trial by Jury, Homicide: Life on the Street, and the 1998 L&O movie Exiled as McCoy.) He returned when the drama did in 2022 (after it initially ended in 2010), and with Anthony Anderson only back for Season 21, he was the only remaining cast member from the original run still part of the show.

He won a Screen Actors Guild Award for playing Jack McCoy (in 1999) and has been nominated for other SAG Awards, Emmys, and a Golden Globe for his work on Law & Order.