Anthony Anderson has revealed that he approached creator Dick Wolf about making a return to Law & Order. The franchise first began back in September 1990, when Law & Order first aired, before concluding in 2010, after 20 seasons, and more than 450 episodes. The series was hugely successful and spawned six spin-off shows, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Trial By Jury, and Law & Order: Organized Crime; the franchise has also spawned a TV movie and several video games as well.
In September 2021, more than a decade after the series finale aired, NBC unexpectedly announced a series revival by commissioning the 21st season. The newest season sees Jeffrey Donovan cast as an NYPD detective and features several actors returning to the franchise, including Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson. Anderson, who previously appeared in a 2006 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, also starred in the original Law & Order series between 2008 and 2010, playing the role of Detective Kevin Bernard.
Black-ish star Anderson revealed how he approached Wolf about a return when he found out the show was going to be getting a revival. The 51-year-old was speaking in an interview with People, when he discussed a that gap came up in his schedule at just the right time to coincide with the show being picked up for a revival. The stars seemed to align for Anderson so he approached creator Wolf about reprising his role once again. Read the comments from the actor below:
"We were, you know, we were two weeks out from ending our show Black-ish. They made the announcement that Law & Order was coming back. So, I picked up the phone and called Dick Wolf up and said, Hey Dick, is it true? He said, 'It is.' I was like, 'Well, you know, I'm a free agent as of Nov. 19th, and [Wolf] was like, 'Anthony, you have no idea how happy this phone call makes me.' "
Having already played the role of Detective Bernard in 50 episodes of the show so far, there's little doubt Anderson will be delighted to return to the franchise. Reviving any popular and successful show years later comes with its fair share of risk, but it is a great way of introducing a new audience to the franchise, as well as bringing back legacy characters who proved popular with audiences years later. Streaming platforms have catapulted episodic television to huge levels of popularity, and this has no doubt had an impact on the revival of formerly successful network shows such as Law & Order, as well as the Sex and the City revival series.
Whether Law & Order will last beyond season 21 is unclear at this point, and the show's success will only become clear once a few episodes have aired and audience reaction can be measured. However, early signs appear to be positive, and it could prove that more seasons of the show will be commissioned following the conclusion of season 21. How much involvement Anderson will have outside of this season of the show is also unknown. However, following the conclusion of his successful ABC sitcom Black-ish, it's possible Anderson will be able to enjoy a less hectic schedule. This could work in the show's favor if they choose to focus more heavily on the character of Bernard in future episodes. Law & Order has retained popularity over the years, and both Anderson and NBC will be hoping the show's revival proves a successful one.
Source: People