Law & Order is currently several weeks into the hiatus ahead of Season 22, but the NBC show has already gone through some big changes since the surprising Season 21 finale. Anthony Anderson, who was one of two stars from the original series who returned for the revival, departed the show, and now Supergirl alum Mehcad Brooks has been cast to fill that void. In light of the big departure and casting news, it’s worth looking back at the cast of six series regulars who brought Law & Order back and remade it into a hit. When Odelya Halevi (who plays Samantha Maroun) spoke with CinemaBlend earlier this year, she shared her experience working with Anderson.
As Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun working on some very difficult cases, Odelya Halevi didn’t spend all of her time in front of the camera laughing. According to the actress when we spoke during Season 21 shortly after an episode showcasing Maroun’s dynamic with Anthony Anderson’s Det. Kevin Bernard, she shared her experience working with the black-ish star on such a very serious show:
Anthony is one of the most hilarious people I've ever worked with. We have such a cute banter all day long. And like he always says, 'If I give you shit, that means I like you.' We always laugh and joke around all day long. It's been incredible. Everyone in the cast, it's just six people who really love each other, and really get along.
Anthony Anderson as “one of the most hilarious people” makes sense despite Kevin Bernard as a pretty serious character. The actor was the star of a broadcast network sitcom for eight seasons and more than 170 episodes, and it was frankly impressive that he was able to transition so quickly from delivering laughs on black-ish to investigating Law & Order crimes alongside Burn Notice alum Jeffrey Donovan as Det. Frank Cosgrove.
Odelya Halevi had nothing but good things to say about working with Anderson, which echoes comments that Donovan recently made to CinemaBlend about being “eternally grateful” for all the buzz that he created by returning to Law & Order, even if only for one season.
Halevi’s ringing endorsement of her now former co-worker is just another example of ways that she has raved about her time on the show so far, including the joy of working with Sam Waterston as a longtime fan. She may spend most of her time as Maroun opposite Hugh Dancy as Executive ADA Nolan Price, but the full original cast of regulars sounds like they were tightly knit for Season 21.
Even with the departure of Anthony Anderson, there’s a lot to look forward to with Season 22, and not just because Sam Waterston’s return means that he’ll be making history. Mehcad Brooks comes to Law & Order with plenty of television experience over the years of his career, notably including nearly 100 episodes of Supergirl. Brooks’ message after the news broke of his casting shows a lot of excitement about his new role.
Besides, the Law & Order franchise hasn’t been running for more than thirty years without learning to adapt to new characters after saying goodbye to others. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until the fall to see what’s on the way with Odelya Halevi’s Maroun as well as the rest as Mehcad Brooks’ new character joins the fold on NBC. In the meantime, you can always stream Season 21 with a Peacock subscription, and check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule.
