Sam Waterston re-ups with ''Law & Order''

Much has been made of how ”Law & Order” has survived for 13 years despite numerous cast changes. Still, three of the current ”Law” enforcers have been on the job for at least nine years. Jerry Orbach has been playing Det. Lennie Briscoe since 1992, and S. Epatha Merkerson has been his boss, Lt. Anita Van Buren, since 1993. Now, Sam Waterston, the cast’s third-longest-serving member, has been re-elected to another two-year term as Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy. According to the Hollywood Reporter, NBC has picked up Waterston’s option for another two years. He’ll be staying on through the 2004-05 season, marking his 10th and 11th years in office.

Since he joined the show in 1994, Waterston has gone through three bosses (Steven Hill, Dianne Wiest, and Fred Dalton Thompson) and four leggy associates (Jill Hennessy, Carey Lowell, Angie Harmon, and Elisabeth Rohm). He’s also been nominated for three lead-actor Emmys, in 1997, 1999, and 2000.