Original star Anthony Anderson only returned for one season for the Law & Order revival and the actor has explained his reasoning behind that decision. During the show's initial run on television, which spanned 20 seasons from 1990 to 2010, Anderson was featured as part of the ensemble cast in his role as Detective Kevin Bernard. He joined the show in season 18 and served as a main cast member for the final three seasons of that first run.
This year, NBC debuted the Law & Order revival which serves as the show's 21st season. It had been previously reported that Anderson would not be returning for season 22 as he had only signed on for one season and did not intend to stick around past that point. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Anderson further clarified why he didn't want to come back for season 22. He says that he has too many creative endeavors he wants to pursue at this point his career that he'd rather focus on, such as the new show Miraculous that he's trying to get off the ground.
"I wanted to go off and create more shows like Black-ish, create things that I have ownership in, and do something a little bit different. We're going out and pitching another drama called Miraculous, which I'm excited about, so looking forward to what that's going to do."
Meanwhile, Anderson also commented on this year's upcoming Emmy season. He admits that he's excited about the chances of Black-ish doing well at the event following the show airing its final season this year.
"I'm always excited for that time of year. I'm gonna be honest, I'm excited... Everybody's saying maybe we might be the sentimental favorites since this is our last season on air. I don't go for that, though, but no I'm excited for it."
Anthony Anderson's Absence Has Been Filled
With Anthony Anderson exiting Law & Order, there was a need to bring in another main cast member to replace him. It has been reported that Mehcad Brooks (Mortal Kombat) had signed on to play a detective in a series regular role. Season 21 will also feature Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy, Odelya Halevi, and returning franchise star Sam Waterston.
"The iconic Law & Order brand has long been synonymous with NBC, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring back all three of these dramas for the 2022-23 season," said NBCU Entertainment and Streaming's Lisa Katz in a statement when season 22 was announced. [I]t’s a testament to the brilliance of Dick Wolf’s storytelling that audiences remain compelled by these unforgettable characters week after week, year after year.”
Producer Dick Wolf added, "Dreams do come true. The renewals of the entire Wednesday and Thursday night lineups is the ultimate verification of our partnership with NBC and Universal Television. I personally want to thank the talented writers and casts, the producers who keep the trains running on time and the crews who tirelessly turn out outstanding shows despite a degree of difficulty never before experienced due to the pandemic.”