SAM Waterston has decided to leave Law & Order as of last week, and now fans believe the show will be unwatchable.
Last week, Sam, 83, made his last appearance as the character John James McCoy, or Jack McCoy, in the original Law & Order.
Sam Waterson played the character Jack McCoy on Law & Order
Last week, Jack McCoy appeared on the show for the last timeCredit: Getty
For over 400 episodes, Sam played the distinguished Manhattan District Attorney.
Over the years, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award and received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his portrayal.
After three decades in the program, Sam decided to retire from the program leaving fans devastated.
He parted ways with the show after an honorable and memorable courtroom monologue where he helped put away a murderer.
On Thursday, the first episode of Law & Order – without Jack McCoy – aired on NBC.
NO REST, NO PEACE
As the show tried to find its new normal with a new District Attorney, fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, couldn't get over the loss of Jack.
One wrote: "Legit bums me out not to see Jack Mccoy in the credits."
"I miss Jack #LawAndOrder," commented two other fans.
Another fan said: "Yea Nolan already pissing me off," referring to the new defense attorney.
"Awww them talking about Jack," said a fifth with a sad face emoji when the character was mentioned in the episode.
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A viewer commented: "Not a fan of Nolan. Can we have Jack McCoy back?"
HAPPY TO BE FREE
Last week, in an interview with Today, Sam gave a special thanks to his fans who have been watching him for the last 30 years.
Speaking to the news anchors, including Al Roker and Sheinelle Jones, he offered up his thoughts on leaving his iconic role behind.
When asked how it made him feel to be leaving the role after 30 years, he responded with a chipper "Fine!"
The hosts had a big laugh together at his statement.
"It does! I knew I was gonna leave when I came back, and it was just a matter of when, and this was a beautiful way to go, I have to say," the actor explained.
He also shot down rumors of potential Jack appearances in the show in the future jokingly.
"Does it seem like it's been 30 years?" Al asked.
"Yeah!" Sam replied.
That brought forth another round of laughter from the hosts.
"I mean, 25 or 30 years gets your attention. When they said goodbye to me, the last shot I did was a shot of me in the courtroom, Dick Wolf showed up, everybody gave speeches, and I quoted from Abraham Lincoln going to DC at the beginning of the Civil War: 'If 25 years doesn't matter, nothing matters'," the television star replied.
Still, Sam said there was "not a chance" he was retiring, but he wouldn't be actively looking for jobs, as Al inquired.
"I can't tell you how freeing it is," Sam said with some relief.
"Suddenly, there was space in my head that I didn't even know there was that had been occupied by the job by…forever!" he said with a laugh.
He was overjoyed to say he'd be looking at the world through his own eyes now that he was no longer appearing in the legal drama.
His final appearance involved a murder case and an impressive monologueCredit: Getty
Fans have decided the show is unwatchable without JackCredit: Getty
Sam appeared on Today before his final bow and said he felt 'free'Credit: Today
