Law & Order: Anthony Anderson returns for revival as Hugh Dancy joins the cast

Anthony Anderson is the first official Law & Order alum to return for the upcoming season 21 revival of the popular NBC series. The news comes as Hugh Dancy has been chosen to lead the show with the previously announced Jeffrey Donovan already on board.

Black-ish is stepping into its eighth and final season on ABC so the timing is perfect for Anderson to return to the Law & Order franchise. According to “Deadline“, the actor has signed a one-year deal to return as Detective Kevin Bernard, a role he played on the series on seasons 18-20. Anderson was one of two original cast members approached so far to return with Sam Waterston also asked to return early on. Per “Deadline“, Waterston is still in discussions to return.

Hugh Dancy will be playing a new character who is an Assistant District Attorney. This marks a return to NBC for Dancy who played Will Graham for three seasons on Hannibal. Dancy joins fellow new cast member, Jeffrey Donovan, who is also set as a co-lead, playing an NYPD detective.

The latest installment of Law & Order comes from Dick Wolf and writer-showrunner Rick Eid. Per NBC, the series will once again examine “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.” Given the fact that Law & Order: SVU and the latest addition Law & Order: Organized Crime, are going strong, I suspect we will also be seeing several crossovers when the parent series returns to the lineup.

Law & Order originally ran for 20 seasons and was on the cusp of topping Gunsmoke’s record as the longest-running primetime drama ever when NBC canceled the series in May of 2010 without a proper series finale after renewal negotiations fell through. The record did stay in the Law & Order family when SVU, now in its 23rd season, took the crown. During its long run, Law & Order was nominated for more than 50 Emmy Awards and won in 1997 for Outstanding Drama Series.

Are YOU excited to see Anthony Anderson and Hugh Dancy join the cast of Law & Order?