Sam Waterston’s Jack McCoy had many memorable moments during his more than 400 episodes ofLaw & Order. Although McCoy is the character most associated with the show, he was not part of the originalLaw & Ordercast. Instead, he joined in season 5 to replace Michael Moriarity, who played attorney Benjamin Stone. Waterston had previously played an attorney onI’ll Fly Away, which is part of why he was chosen for the role.
McCoy is a passionate and determined assistant district attorney who made waves from his first case. He is considered one of thebest lawyers on televisionbecause he always fights hard for justice, especially against powerful people such as judges, mayors, and senators. Thus, it is difficult to choose his best appearances because he has so many, andby the time Waterston left the series in 2024, McCoy had been one of its strongest influences for decades.
10Jack McCoy Makes An Unforgettable First Impression In Law & Order
Season 5, Episode 1: “Second Opinion”
Audiences were used to the soft-spoken yet determined Benjamin Stone when McCoy debuted at the beginning of season 5,so it was vital that he made a strong first impression and separated himself from his predecessor. He does so admirably in “Second Opinion,” which shows him prosecuting a case involving a doctor who peddled fraudulent and unapproved cancer treatments, particularly the use of apricot seeds to cure the disease, and shocking the defendant, who expected to get a slap on the wrist for her behavior.
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While his scenes with the defendant are strong, McCoy makes his strongest impression beforehand, when Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennesey) comes into his office for the first time. McCoy is on his knees searching through files himself, and the two are equally surprised by each other. Later in the episode, McCoy examines a report while lying down on a couch, another position he is rarely seen in again, demonstrating that despite the strong impression he makes, the series is still figuring out his character during his debut episode.
9Jack McCoy Suffers The Biggest Personal Loss Of His Life After Watching An Execution
Season 6, Episode 23: “Aftershock”
“Aftershock” is undoubtedly one ofLaw & Order’s best episodes. The story is different from most, as it involves McCoy and the rest of the lawyers and cops dealing with the aftermath of an execution.Rather than there being a case of the week, everybody observes the defendant getting the death penalty and then responds to it in different ways. McCoy mostly avoids his feelings about it by burying himself in work, but he goes to a bar toward the end of the episode, where he airs his frustrations by throwing darts.
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Although McCoy is not involved in the episode’s shocking ending, the moment where he decides to leave the bar instead of waiting for Kincaid is importantbecause it influences him in later episodes. Because McCoy leaves, Kincaid gives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) a ride home instead. Thus, she is in the car with Briscoe rather than McCoy when a drunk driver fatally strikes her. This loss is heartbreaking for McCoy, and the circumstances give him a reason to blame himself later in the series.
8Jack McCoy Struggles To Stay Objective While Prosecuting A Drunk Driver
Season 8, Episode 11: “Under The Influence”
The effects of Kincaid’s death are most clear duringLaw & Order:season 8, episode 11. In this episode, McCoy is tasked with prosecuting a drunk driver who caused the death of three people.While McCoy would likely have fought for justice for the victims regardless of his personal experience,the fact that the victims died the same way Kincaid did makes him twice as determinedto not only secure a conviction but get the maximum penalty for the defendant.
McCoy’s frustration is especially reasonable considering that it is also revealed in this episode that the driver who killed Kincaid only got 12 months for the crime.
McCoy’s comportment creates tension between him and ADA Jamie Ross (Carey Lowell), and things are never quite the same between them again. It’s easy to empathize with McCoy during this episode, and despite the emotion behind his decisions, he’s right when he tells Jamie: “Intent follows the bullet. It shouldn’t matter if it was fired by a drunk or by Carrie Nation.“McCoy’s frustration is especially reasonable considering that it is also revealed in this episode that the driver who killed Kincaid only got 12 months for the crime.
7Law & Order’s Jack McCoy Argues Against His Daughter
Season 22, Episode 22: “Open Wounds”
Despite the serious subject matter, “Open Wounds” was one of the most fun episodes ofLaw & Orderbecause Sam Waterston gets to work with his real-life daughter, Elisabeth Waterston. The younger Waterston plays McCoy’s daughter Rebecca, who is acting as the defense attorney for a man McCoy is prosecuting for fatally shooting the father of the groom at a wedding.The elder McCoy also feels undermined when Price (Hugh Dancy) agrees with Rebecca that the shooter’s trauma history was a mitigating circumstance, which was an interesting callback to Price’s own traumatic experience inLaw & Orderseason 22, episode 3.
Rebecca had appeared before inLaw & Orderseason 17, but was played by a different actress, Jamie Schofield.
“Open Wounds” is memorable because McCoy and his daughter butt heads both professionally and personally. The final scene is especially powerful, as after the case is over he wants to get together with his daughter, but she is too hurt that he rarely has time for her and by his behavior during the case, so she declines. The look on McCoy’s face as Rebecca’s cab drives away is unforgettable, and it’s a shame thatLaw & Orderwas not able to follow up on his desire for a renewed relationship before Waterston left the series in season 23.
6Jack McCoy Retires After Defying The Mayor’s Orders To Get Justice
Season 23, Episode 5: “Last Dance”
When Sam Waterston leftLaw & Order,he got the send-off he deserved. Although there are no flashbacks or other retrospective elements to McCoy’s final case, it is one of his most powerful performances.The departure also restores McCoy to his proper role, as he never seemed to fit the role of the head of the DA’s officeas well and was much more in his element in the courtroom.
McCoy’s final episode involves the prosecution of a billionaire for the murder of a woman in Central Park. The defendant is well-connected enough that the mayor demands McCoy drop the case. McCoy proves he is still as passionate about justice as he ever has been when he defies the mayor, trying the case himself to protect Price from the mayor’s wrath. Unfortunately, that power move cost him his job, asMcCoy felt he had to resign in order to ensure the blowback from his win in court didn’t hurt Price’s career.
5Jack McCoy Faces Contempt Of Court After A Passionate Outburst
Season 10, Episode 7: “Patsy”
While trying an unusual murder case involving a man accused of killing a woman years ago and putting her sister in a coma now,McCoy gets more and more frustrated with the judge’s (Lynne Thigpin) rulings, at one point remarking, “Your Honor made rulings. This court is not upholding them.” After getting sufficiently provoked by the defense attorney’s statements, McCoy begins a rousing speech, stating facts that have been declared inadmissible, and doesn’t stop until he is held in contempt.
It’s debatable whether this was the best strategy, as the case ends in a mistrial, and it’s never determined whether the defendant was innocent or guilty.
It’s debatable whether this was the best strategy, as the case ends in a mistrial, and it’s never determined whether the defendant was innocent or guilty. However, this is one of McCoy’s most passionate speeches throughout his long run, and he does succeed in getting the facts out and the defense attorney an admonishment. When the defense attorney objects to her declaring a mistrial, the judge tells him, “You opened the door to this.”
4Jack McCoy Takes A Powerful Stand Against School Shootings
Season 20, Episode 23: “Rubber Room”
The final episode of the original series is also one of its most powerful, and that’s likely by design, considering thatLaw & Orderhad been canceled, and its revival wouldn’t be for another 12 years.McCoy has only a small part, but he must deliver a more powerful speech than he ever has in court in order to save multiple lives, as a lawyer for a teacher refuses to let a witness provide information without a subpoena compelling her to testify.
McCoy gets into it with the lawyer, threatening to prosecute him for obstruction of justice and then resign so he can represent victims' families, should a tragedy happen. His threat is strangely prescient of McCoy’s final episode in season 23. His passion not only saves the day but contributes to a powerful series finale forLaw & Order’s first run.
3Jack McCoy Exposes A Con Artist Selling Fake Flu Vaccines
Season 15, Episode 14: “Fluency”
“Fluency” is somewhat similar to McCoy’s debut case but contains some equally captivating McCoy moments nonetheless. By the time he gets this case, McCoy has long been established as passionate about justice. This one involves a doctor who sold saline solution as a flu vaccine, resulting in the death of 16 children. Unsurprisingly,McCoy is as determined to put this fake doctor behind bars as he was the cancer doctor who sold fake cures.
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One of McCoy’s strongest moments in this episode comes when the defense tries to get the evidence thrown out by claiming an illegal search. McCoy is as knowledgeable as he is good at thinking on his feet, which is why this ploy ultimately fails; he successfully argues that a warehouse does not have the same expectation of privacy as a private home, saving the case and allowing him to move forward to get justice for all 16 victims.
2Jack McCoy Collaborates With A Defense Attorney To Protect A Defendant’s Mental Health
Season 6, Episode 6: “Paranoia”
“Paranoia” shows McCoy being compassionate while getting justice. A college student who has confessed to murder has a history of severe trauma and schizophrenia, but won’t agree to plead not guilty by reason of mental defect. Thus, McCoy takes some unusual steps. Instead of charging the defendant with murder, he first charges her with fraud because she lied on a scholarship application. This allows him to get the murder weapon, which had been excluded by the judge, back into evidence and also prompts a breakdown on the stand, demonstrating McCoy’s resourcefulness.
Although this episode reinforces negative stereotypes about people with serious mental health conditions, it still contains some of McCoy’s best moments. He gradually shifts his perspective on the defendant and masterfully gets her to accept the insanity plea, which will allow her to get help. This sequence demonstrates McCoy’s more compassionate side.
1Jack McCoy Risks His Reelection to Expose Political Corruption
Season 19, Episode 22, “The Drowned And The Saved”
It’s unsurprising that McCoy ultimately resigns to protect his team from the mayor’s wrath, considering that he risked his entire re-election campaign to take down government corruption thirteen years earlier. The episode revolves around a murder that has connections to a top politician’s wife. When the politician attempts to buy McCoy’s silence, it leads to an amazing moment.
McCoy has never been corruptible, and he’s not interested in bribes,including donations to his re-election campaign. He tells the politician in no uncertain terms what he can do with his offer and doesn’t care that he might lose the election. This episode demonstrates McCoy’s integrity and foreshadows his departure fromLaw & Orderduring season 23. These two episodes, among others, stand out as the most illustrative of one of the procedural’s most memorable characters.
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Law & Order is a procedural crime drama series that premiered in 1990, featuring New York City police detectives and prosecutors as they investigate and prosecute serious crimes. The show is known for its two-part approach, dividing between the crime-solving efforts of the detectives and the legal proceedings in court.
