It's likely that some Law & Order fans were surprised when it was revealed that the revival would be losing a major star in Anthony Anderson. This came development came shortly after NBC delivered the exciting Season 22 renewal news for the show. Viewers seemed to enjoy seeing Det. Kevin Bernard back on the case again alongside Jeffrey Donovan’s Det. Frank Cosgrove, and they may likely have questions regarding his exit. On that note, Anderson has now explained exactly why he decided to leave the legal drama after just a single season.
Ahead of his departure, the veteran actor had spoken highly of his return to the character of Det. Bernard. He even said that it helped him handle the conclusion of his sitcom, black-ish, which ended after eight seasons on the air. So one would think that he would've just stayed with the tried-and-true procedural. However, the 51-year-old actor seems to be setting his sights on more original content, based on his comments to ET:
I wanted to go off and create more shows like Black-ish, create things that I have ownership in, and do something a little bit different.
It's true that black-ish did allow Anthony Anderson, who starred on the OG L&O for two years, to do some things on TV that were a bit more groundbreaking. He was also a producer on the comedy, so one can understand why he'd have a desire for the creative freedom he had on that show.
Though he's left the NBC drama, that doesn’t mean the star is done with more dramatic projects. In fact, the To Tell the Truth host revealed that he and his producing team are shopping another TV drama at the moment:
We're going out and pitching another drama called Miraculous, which I'm excited about, so looking forward to what that's going to do.
So it looks like the star is already on the ball when it comes to his next project. Based on his sentiments, it would seem that it was always his plan to appear Law and Order revival for only one season. Ultimately, one would that that it was refreshing for him to briefly switch from comedy to drama after playing Andre Johnson for eight seasons.
And though he's no longer on the show, his impact is still felt. His former Law and Order co-star, Jeffrey Donovan, talked about Anthony Anderson's exit, and said that he appreciated how his role helped to bring attention to the show while also saying that he'll miss working with the actor. Co-star Odelya Halevi also said that had an "incredible" experience working with Anderson. So while Anderson does have a firm replacement in Mehcad Brooks, he'll surely be missed.
Viewers will have to wait and see if Miraculous gets a pilot or series order but, hopefully, that'll pan out so that we get more of Anthony Anderson on the small screen. In the meantime, you can catch him as Det. Kevin Bernard on Law and Order Season 21 or Andre Johnson on black-ish by subscribing to Peacock and Hulu, respectively. And be on the lookout for Season 22 of the legal drama, which will premiere on September 22 on NBC at 8 pm ET.
