The 'Black-ish' star is the first alum returning alongside franchise newcomers Hugh Dancy and Jeffrey Donovan.
Detective Kevin Bernard is back!
ET has learned that Anthony Anderson will be reprising his role on season 21 of NBC's Law & Order with a one-season contractual commitment. The star will be joined by Hugh Dancy, who's tapped to play an assistant district attorney.
Anderson's casting is especially timely as the actor's reign as the loveable patriarch of ABC's Black-ish will end with the series' upcoming eighth and final season. The 51-year-old actor starred in and executive produced the show for eight seasons, which begins its last run on Jan. 4. The actor previously told ET that working on the final season has been "bittersweet" for his TV family and admitted, "It's gonna be hard every day because we know it's the end."
When ET asked the actor about potentially reprising his role for the revival last month, Anderson teased that "anything is possible."
"I did have a conversation with Dick Wolf about them bringing back Law & Order for the 21st season and, like I said, anything is possible," he answered coyly.
Anderson and Dancy, who previously played Will Graham on NBC's Hannibal, will join Jeffrey Donovan on the revival cast. NBC announced the former Burn Notice star's casting as an NYPD detective earlier this month.
Law & Order first began in 2008, and the network announced a series revival on Sept. 28. The original crime drama will return to NBC for its 21st season and continue the classic format created for its first run -- examining "the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders."
Creator and executive producer of the Law & Order franchise, Dick Wolf, called the original series' return a "dream come true."
"There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true," Wolf said. "This is mine."
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