Sam Waterston to exit ‘Law & Order’ after 30 years — Tony Goldwyn joins

Sam Waterston, who’s played DA Jack McCoy on “Law & Order” for more than 400 episodes, is leaving the NBC warhorse.

His last episode will air Feb. 22.

Tony Goldwyn, 63, is tagging in for Waterston, 83, playing the new district attorney.

Waterston, who was nominated for three Emmys in the late ’90s for his work on “Law & Order,” joined the show in its fourth season on NBC in 1994.

He spent the next 16 years playing McCoy, and returned in 2022 when “Law & Order” was jump-started after a 12-year hiatus — making him the longest-running cast member in the show’s 23-season history.

“The time has come for me to move on and take Jack McCoy with me,” Waterston said in a statement on Friday.

“There’s sadness in leaving, but I’m just too curious about what’s next. An actor doesn’t want to let himself get too comfortable,” he continued. “I’m more grateful to you than I can say.”

“L&O’s continuing and amazing long run, along with its astounding comeback, is all thanks to you and [series creator] Dick Wolf, but for whose vision, patience, perseverance and unique combination of creative and business talents, none of this would have happened.”

“I feel very blessed,” he said. “I hope to see you all on the flip side.”

Waterston was enthusiastic about the recent revival of “Law & Order.”

“Well, obviously, I love it,” the actor said in an interview last year. “I wondered whether I hadn’t already done this and shouldn’t go back.

“But I couldn’t stand the idea of somebody else doing it and me watching from the sidelines, so I gave it a try and I’m having a wonderful time.”

His departure from “Law & Order” comes as something of a surprise, since Waterston gave no hint of wanting to retire.

“Time does take its toll, but working keeps you going,” he said a few years back when he was starring opposite Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the Netflix series “Grace and Frankie.”

“It helps to have a job because you have to show up,” he said. “Somebody is expecting things of you and you need to deliver. So it works for me.”

So far this season, “Law & Order” is averaging 6.4 million viewers Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC, according to the network.

In addition to Waterston, the cast includes Mehcad Brooks (as Junior Detective Jalen Shaw); Camryn Manheim (Lt. Kate Dixon); Hugh Dancy (Executive ADA Nolan Price); and Odelya Halevi (ADA Samantha Maroun).

In its long and storied history, “Law & Order” — known for its ripped-from-the-headlines approach — has spawned a slew of spinoffs. Two are still airing: “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” starring Mariska Hargitay, and “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” starring Christopher Meloni. Four more have come and gone: “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” — on which Goldwyn played Frank Goren, who died on the series — “Law & Order: Trial By Jury,” “Law & Order: LA” and “Law & Order: True Crime.”

The original series was created by executive producer Dick Wolf, who’s also responsible for NBC’s “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med” and “Chicago P.D.”

Last year, Goldwyn, who played President Fitzgerald Grant on ABC’s “Scandal” — opposite Kerry Washington — released his feature film “Ezra,” starring Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro and Whoopi Goldberg.

Goldwyn also appears in the movie, reuniting him with Goldberg, his castmate from the iconic 1990 movie “Ghost,” starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.

He plays Gordon Gray in Oscar favorite “Oppenheimer” and was also in “Murder Mystery 2” opposite Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler (Netflix) and the movie “King Richard” starring Will Smith.