Ready the monologue and cue that iconic “DUN DUN” — we now know who the first returning Law & Order cast member is going to be and are that much closer to the series’ big revival. After nearly 12 years away from the program, Anthony Anderson has officially confirmed he will be returning to the hit NBC legal drama to reprise his role as Detective Kevin Bernard, Variety reports. The Black-ish star joins Burn Notice alum Jeffrey Donovan and Hannibal’s Hugh Dancy as the third announced actor set in to star in the upcoming revival and has reportedly signed on for a one-season contractual commitment with no word on if he intends to stay beyond the show’s highly-anticipated season 21.
At the time of its abrupt cancellation back in 2010, Anderson was among one of the many main cast members on the celebrated police procedural. In addition to Anderson, Jeremy Sisto, S. Epatha Merkerson, Alana de la Garza, Sam Waterston, and Linus Roache were all also season 20 Law & Order mainstays, though over the course of the series’ whopping 20 seasons, several other cast members also rose to prominence and could return as dark horse fan favorites — such as Chris Noth. So far, there has been no word on whether or not any of these actors are set to return. However, the upcoming revival has secured some additional star power with Donovan and Dancy, who will be playing an NYPD detective and assistant district attorney respectively.
Announced back in September, the upcoming Law & Order revival picks up where the show’s season 20 left off after it was suddenly canceled. The Dick Wolf series is set to premiere on February 24, 2022, and will once again air on NBC at 7 PM CT each Thursday, with its popular offshoots — Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime — directly following.