The 'Burn Notice' star will play a new character in the 'L&O' universe.
Jeffrey Donovan has been cast as the lead of NBC’s revival of Law & Order. While no details have been released about his character, the former Burn Notice star will play a NYPD detective, when the crime procedural returns for season 21. “Dun-dun,” the actor tweeted.
In September, NBC announced it was bringing back the original series that kicked off the sprawling and long-running franchise for a new season. Executive produced by creator Dick Wolf and led by showrunner Rick Eid, the series will once again examine “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.”
Since then, Donovan becomes the first official – and new – cast member to join amid speculation over who from the original run of the series, including Sam Waterston, who played District Attorney Jack McCoy for 15 seasons, and Anthony Anderson, who played Detective Kevin Bernard in the final three seasons, might return.
When asked about possibly reprising his role, Anderson told ET that “anything is possible.” He added, “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.”
Meanwhile, Law & Order’s return follows the successful launch of Law & Order: Organized Crime, which first premiered in April 2020 and airs after Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Previous spinoffs include Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Trial by Jury and Law & Order: LA.
While speaking to ET about his long-running success on TV, Wolf explained that what keeps viewers coming back is the writing. “It’s always the writing,” he said. “There are a lot of really great actors out there but they don't make up the words, and the words are what people are initially attracted to. And it’s what keeps them around for long, long periods of time.”
And when it comes to the original, “Law & Order was a six-person ensemble and over the 20 years there were 29 actors on the show. So, I’ve always seen change as an opportunity,” Wolf says of the franchise's ability to evolve alongside its cast changes.
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