Jack McCoy

John James McCoy is a fictional character in the American television drama Law & Order. He was created by Dick Wolf and Michael S. Chernuchin and has been portrayed by Sam Waterston during the show's original run from 1994 to 2010 and again from 2022 until his retirement in 2024. He is the longest-tenured character on the show, appearing in 19 seasons. In addition to appearances in 405 episodes of Law & Order, the character appeared in other shows across the Law & Order franchise, including four episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, two episodes of Law & Order: Trial by Jury, two crossover episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, and the made-for-TV movie Exiled. Waterston's performance as McCoy on the New York–based series was so popular that it resulted in Waterston being declared a "Living Landmark" by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, in a joint recognition with fellow longtime series cast member Jerry Orbach, who portrayed NYPD detective Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order for 12 seasons.