Sam Waterston’s Final ‘Law & Order’ Episode: Jack McCoy Returns to Court (PHOTOS)

It’s time for Jack McCoy’s “Last Dance.” Sam Waterston is leaving Law & Order after more than 400 episodes with the February 22 installment, and it’s only fitting that it not only holds that title but also sees the district attorney return to the courtroom.

In the episode, when a woman is found murdered in Central Park, evidence points to two frequent park-goers, a street vendor and tech billionaire. In the face of extreme political pressure, McCoy takes drastic action to make the case. The photos, below, are almost all of McCoy—in his office, in court, and during a press conference with Lieutenant Kate Dixon (Camryn Manheim), Mayor Payne (Bruce Altman), and ADA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy).

It was just a few weeks before his final episode will air that Waterston announced his exit from the long-running NBC drama. “The time has come for me to move on and take Jack McCoy with me,” he said in a statement. “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 joined Law & Order in Season 4 in 1994. (He has also played McCoy on SVU, Trial by Jury, Homicide: Life on the Street, and the 1998 L&O movie Exiled.) The drama originally ended in 2010, but when it returned in 2022, so did Waterston. Since Anthony Anderson was only part of Season 21, he was the only remaining cast member from the original run still part of the show.

Scroll down to check out photos from Waterston’s last Law & Order, and let us know in the comments how you want to see McCoy written out.

Law & Order, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC