Anthony Anderson brought back his Detective Kevin Bernard for the Law & Order revival which returned the series to NBC for its 21st season but he will not be coming back for season 22. It has been announced, via The Hollywood Reporter, that it was a one-and-done deal.
It looks like this was known from the moment he signed on for season 21. Anderson only signed a one-year deal and has decided to not go beyond that. His character first debuted on the series back in 2008 during season 18 and it’s clear he made an impression on creator Dick Wolf. When it was decided to revive the show on the network, Anderson heard about it and gave Wolf a call. He explained that he had time in his schedule for a return since his long-running ABC comedy series, Black-ish would be wrapping up filming of its eight-season run back in November 2021. At the time Anderson told People that Wolf responded to the call by saying, “you have no idea how happy this phone call makes me.”
Law & Order was canceled back in 2010 but it was revived with a 10-episode 21st season that just finished airing last week. The show was renewed for season 22 earlier this month, joining Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime, on the lineup. In addition to Anderson, the series stars Sam Waterston, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy, and Odelya Halevi.
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