Why Sam Waterston’s Jack McCoy Left Law & Order After 400 Episodes

Jack McCoy was a staple of Law & Order, so it was a shock to longtime fans when actor Sam Waterston left the show after four hundred episodes under his belt. Waterson’s NY District Attorney Jack McCoy has long been considered the beating heart of Law & Order, the longest-tenured actor on the show. During his time on Law & Order, Sam Waterston shaped the series with Jack McCoy’s skill and savvy before becoming Law & Order‘s highest-profile character exit.

Waterston joined the cast in Law & Order season 5, episode 1, as the new attorney at the D.A.’s office who doggedly pursues a conviction for a woman who provided sketchy alternative treatment services to women with breast cancer. From the start, his first episode established Jack McCoy’s character: determined, tough, and uncompromising in his pursuit of justice for those who need it most. In his two decades on the show, Sam Waterston’s character became synonymous with Law & Order, and it’s a new, strange era now that he’s gone ahead of Law & Order season 24.

Sam Waterston Exited As Law & Order’s Jack McCoy For Personal Reasons

He Wanted To Try Something Different

Despite him being the backbone of the flagship show in the Law & Order universe, Sam Waterston made the choice to exit the show after playing the role of the Manhattan D.A. for a whopping 19 seasons. Earlier this year, he penned a letter to fans on Instagram, explaining that he felt it was time to move on and explore other avenues, both as an actor in life:

“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. 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 astonishing 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. Thank you. Sam.”

However, Waterston was quick to clarify that he’s not retiring, a sentiment that he’s reiterated in numerous interviews since. “I’m open for business,” he told the L.A. Times, “If anybody’s reading this and thinking, ‘Oh, too bad. He retired.’ I haven’t retired.” He later explained that his wife, Lynn Louisa Woodruff, and his manager were responsible for finding him his next project. In the meantime, he will next be seen in the upcoming Tyler Perry WWII drama Six Triple Eight.

Even if he’s not acting, though, Waterston keeps busy with other endeavors. A longtime climate activist and champion of human rights, Waterston has served as the Board President of Oceana, the world’s largest nonprofit ocean conservation NGO, since 2001. He also serves as Board Member Emeritus for Refugee International, with the Waterston Emergency Fund named for him. His championing of refugee causes has been so dedicated that in 2012, he was awarded the Goodermote Humanitarian Award from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Clearly, even if Waterston doesn’t return to a regular acting schedule post-Law & Order, he will keep busy.

How Law & Order Wrote Out Jack McCoy After 400 Episodes

He Rode Off Into The Sunset – Figuratively

In Sam Waterston’s final episode, the revered D.A. retired while keeping his integrity intact. The case he worked on was a sticky one. Dating app founder Veronica Knight’s body is found in Central Park. Jack McCoy is certain that the man who did it was filthy rich, influential tech mogul Scott Kelton, who killed Veronica after she accused him of raping her years earlier. The case got more complicated when it was revealed that Jordan, the son of New York City Mayor Payne, was on the same trip with Kelton, a huge donor to the mayor, when the alleged rape took place.

When the D.A.’s office threatened to subpoena Jordan, the mayor threatens to “bury” Jack McCoy and assistant D.A. Nolan Price, claiming he’ll use his considerable weight and influence to ensure Jack’s opponent is elected and that Price is fired in a public and career-ruining manner. With the pressure mounting, Jack McCoy asks Price to step off the case and steps up to finish the trial himself. The move was vintage Jack McCoy, designed to protect his assistant D.A. while still getting justice, and Kelton is eventually found guilty of second-degree murder. Knowing there will be consequences his actions, Jack puts in his resignation. He leaves with his ethics uncompromised and on his own terms, a fitting goodbye to Law & Order‘s heart and soul.