Law & Order icon Sam Waterston is returning to NBC in a surprising new role
Law & Order icon Sam Waterston is returning to NBC in a surprising new role
Vatsala Chauhan Tue, August 25, 2026 at 7:26 AM UTC
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Sam Waterston joins NBC's Line Of Fire ©Getty
Law & Order icon Sam Waterston is returning to NBC, but instead of playing his iconic character, Jack McCoy, the actor will be seen in a whole new role. As Deadline confirmed, Waterston has joined the cast of NBC's upcoming dramaLine of Fire as President Thomas Barnes.
Waterston, who has been active in the industry for over six decades, first took on the role of District Attorney Jack McCoy in 1994 and went on to play the character for nearly three decades. Along with becoming one of the most famous faces of Law & Order, Waterston also earned multiple award nominations for his role, including Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, and Actor Awards.
In Line of Fire, Waterston leaves his Law & Order character behind as he takes on the role of Barnes, a former president.
More on the story below.
Law & Order's Sam Waterston lands a new guest role in Line of Fire
Sam Waterston joins a new NBC series - Source: Getty
Earlier this year, NBC announced its list of shows coming this fall and winter, which included Line of Fire. While the network did not mention Waterston at the time, its latest details about the drama now reveal that he has joined the cast. As revealed by the network, Line of Fire revolves around the Hollingsworth family, who work in different law enforcement agencies. Their lives take a turn when a murder involves the family in a much bigger case, forcing them to come together and figure out who is behind it.
The Hollingsworth family consists of Jane, a U.S. Marshal, her husband, Mike, who works for the Secret Service, and their three children. Their son Russ is also a Secret Service agent, and their other son works in the Department of Justice. As per the description, their daughter Clare works for the FBI.
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However, while many might have expected Waterston to take on a bigger role in the series, NBC has revealed that he will instead appear as a guest star in the role of former president Thomas Barnes. Interestingly, there's also a connection between Barnes and Mike Hollingsworth, as Mike spent years protecting him when he was president.
However, this isn't the first time Law & Order iconSam Waterston has taken on the role of a president, as he previously played President Roosevelt in The Six Triple Eight, released in 2024. Additionally, he played President William Foster in The Enemy Within and voiced President Abraham Lincoln in The Civil War. Waterston last appeared in a romantic drama titled Carousel as Sam.
When is Line of Fire releasing?
Line of Fire is scheduled to premiere on September 21 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. For interested viewers who don't have access to NBC, they can also stream the episodes on Peacock the next day, which is September 22.
Line of Fire is created by Josh Safran, famous for Quantico, Gossip Girl, and Smash. The cast of the series includes Peter Krause as Mike Hollingsworth, Hope Davis as Jane Hollingsworth, Taylor Bloom as Russ, Kat Cunning as Clare Hollingsworth, and Tommy O’Brien as Mike "Micah" Hollingsworth Jr.
Alongside Law & Order starSam Waterston, viewers will also see Campbell Scott in the role of Terry and Chris Chalk as President Kayana. Terry is a U.S. Senator, while President Kayana is the current president whom Micah Hollingsworth protects as a Secret Service agent.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
