Law & Order Season 23: Release Date, Cast Departures, and Everything Else to Know

Law & Order, the show that kicked off the longstanding Dick Wolf franchise, was resurrected at NBC in February 2022, when the hit series returned for its 21st season. The wait for Season 22 was short — it premiered that fall — but Season 23 was delayed in 2023, along with almost all broadcast TV shows, as actors and writers went on strike for fair wages. But now that's all dun-dun, and Law & Order is back on the air — and this season has already been a tumultuous one.

Read on to see everything we know about Law & Order Season 23.

Latest news

Sam Waterston is leaving Law & Order. His final episode as Manhattan District Attorney Jack McCoy is set for Feb. 22, Deadline reports. Waterston has appeared in more than 400 Law & Order episodes since his debut in the Season 5 premiere in 1994. In a statement, Waterston said, per Deadline, "The time has come for me to move on and take Jack McCoy with me. There's sadness in leaving, but I'm just too curious about what's next."

Waterston's character will be replaced by a new district attorney played by Scandal's Tony Goldwyn.

Law & Order release date

Law & Order Season 23 premiered Thursday, Jan. 18 on NBC. New episodes air Thursdays at 8/7c, followed by Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime. Dick Wolf's shows are targeting 13 episodes for their upcoming seasons, according to TV Line.

Who will be in Law & Order Season 23?

After appearing in more than 400 episodes of Law & Order, Sam Waterston, who plays DA Jack McCoy, is exiting the series during Season 23. His exit was announced on Feb. 2, with his final episode scheduled for Feb. 22.

And that hasn't been the only cast shakeup this season. Jeffrey Donovan, who played Detective Frank Cosgrove, left the series before Season 23 began. As TV Line reported in November 2023, the decision was reportedly made for creative reasons. In his place, Reid Scott joined Law & Order as the show's new detective male lead, as reported by Deadline. 

Law & Order main cast:

• Mehcad Brooks as Detective Jalen Shaw
• Camryn Manheim as Lieutenant Kate Dixon
• Hugh Dancy as Executive ADA Nolan Price
• Odelya Halevi as ADA Samantha Maroun
• Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley
• Sam Waterston (exiting the series) as DA Jack McCoy
• Tony Goldwyn (joining the series) as a new district attorney

What will Season 23 be about?

Law & Order Season 23 kicked off by introducing Reid Scott's Detective Vincent Riley, new partner to Mehcad Brooks' Detective Jalen Shaw. After explaining the absence of Jeffrey Donovan's Cosgrove, who got "jammed up" about "being too honest about things people aren't too honest about these days," the show paired up Shaw and Riley to investigate a murder. Things got off to a tense start, and it sounds like they're in for more trouble ahead; Brooks told TV Line in January that Riley is hiding a secret that will cause "some amicable conflict" with Shaw this season.

With Waterston's exit from the show approaching, it seems like more big adjustments are still to come in Season 23.

Where to watch Law & Order

Seasons 13-20 of Law & Order are available to stream on Peacock with a subscription. Seasons 1-2 are available to purchase on Prime Video; the revival seasons (21 and 22) are available to purchase on Apple TV or Prime Video.