How Sam Waterston was written off ‘Law & Order’ after 30 years: ‘It’s been a helluva ride’
Sam Waterston’s Manhattan DA Jack McCoy tried his final case on Thursday night’s “Law & Order” before resigning — but he went out with a flourish and with his storied integrity unbroken.Waterston, 83, announced earlier this month that he was leaving “Law & Order” after over 400 episodes since joining the granddaddy NBC series in 1994. He’ll be replaced by Tony Goldwyn, 63, who will play DA Nicholas Baxter.Waterston took center stage on his swan song episode, entitled “Last Dance,” as Jack McCoy tried the headline-grabbing case of a tech billionaire, Scott Kelton (Rob Benedict), accused of killing a woman named Veronica Knight in Central Park who he allegedly assaulted at a company retreat six years earlier.Kelton was arrested by Detectives Shaw and Reily (Mehcad Brooks, Reid Scott) and taken into custody, where the case fell to ADA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy).