It's time for Jack McCoy's "Last Dance." Sam Waterston leaves Law & Order after more than 400 episodes with the February 22 episode, and it's only fitting that the series not only bears that title, but also sees the district attorney back in the courtroom.

In the episode, in which a woman is found murdered in Central Park, the evidence points to two frequent park visitors, a street vendor and a tech billionaire. Under extreme political pressure, McCoy takes drastic measures to plead his case. The photos below are almost entirely of McCoy: in his office, in court, and at a press conference with Lt. Kate Dixon (Camryn Manheim), Mayor Payne (Bruce Altman), and ADA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy).

It was just weeks before his final episode aired that Waterston announced his departure from the long-running NBC drama. "It's time for me to move on and take Jack McCoy with me," he said in a statement. "It's sad to leave, but I'm just too curious to see what happens next. As an actor, I don't want to get too comfortable. I'm more grateful than I can express. L&O's continued and astonishing long run, along with his astonishing comeback, is all thanks to you and Dick Wolf, but without whose vision, patience, perseverance and unique combination of creative and business talents, none of this would have happened. I feel so blessed. I hope to see you all on the other side."

Waterston joined Law & Order in 1994 for Season 4. (He also played McCoy on SVU, Trial by Jury, Homicide: Life on the Street and the 1998 L&O film Exiled.) The drama originally ended in 2010, but when it returned in 2022, so did Waterston. Since Anthony Anderson was only a part of Season 21, he was the only remaining cast member from the original series who was still a part of the show.