Law & Order Just Lost One Of Its Main Characters
A Law & Order star is leaving the show and it's definitely something of a surprise considering how much he had been involved.
This article is more than 2 years old
The return of Law & Order also brought us the return of Anthony Anderson’s Detective Kevin Bernard. However, that return is short-lived, because Anderson will not be back for Season 22. Anderson had only signed on for one year for the return of the long-running series, so this doesn’t necessarily come as a huge surprise.
In the Law & Order finale, we saw Anthony Anderson’s detective and his partner investigating the murder of an off-duty police officer. While there can always be some dialogue to explain away his departure in the next season premiere, usually there’s an in-show indication beforehand to give us some clue as to why a character might be leaving. There’s always a chance that Anderson could return for some guest spots, but for now, it seems like his tenure with Law & Order is over.
Although Anthony Anderson is definitely not returning to the series, there is a chance that Sam Waterston could be coming back into the fold. Although Waterston was only signed on for one season, he did not indicate that he planned to leave after that season, whereas Anderson did. It’s unclear how they will remove Anderson’s character from the show, as the season finale of Season 21 didn’t make it seem like we wouldn’t be getting more of Detective Bernard.
In addition to Law & Order, Anthony Anderson recently finished up the final season of his hit show Black-ish. Black-ish ran for eight seasons and finished on its own terms, with a planned season finale that would tie up the story in a neat bow and provide closure for fans. Anderson starred in and executive produced Black-ish. The show also starred Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, Laurence Fishburne, and more. The show spawned two spin-offs, Grown-ish and Mixed-ish. Mixed-ish was canceled after two seasons and Grown-ish has been renewed for a fifth season.
Currently, Anthony Anderson is featured as the host of To Tell the Truth. Anderson will also continue to work with NBC on Anthony Anderson and Mom: European Vacation. Fans of Law & Order won’t be getting more Anthony Anderson, but the show is still going strong. Cast members like Hugh Dancy, Camryn Manheim, and Odelya Halevi will be back for more of the popular procedural. Creator Dick Wolf and writer-showrunner Rick Eid are the brains behind the operation.
There is also the recent spin-off Law & Order: Organized Crime to provide even more entertainment from the Law & Order universe. Law & Order: Organized Crime was recently renewed for a third season. This spin-off features the fan-favorite Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) returning to New York to take down organized crime and find his wife’s killers.
And Law & Order: Special Victims Unit recently aired its 23rd season and its 500th episode. This makes it the longest-running primetime US live-action series in television history. In short, the Law & Order franchise is going strong and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. While fans might enjoy Anthony Anderson’s character and they might be disappointed to see him go, the franchise will go on regardless.
