No, S. Epatha Merkerson is not leaving Chicago Med for NBC’s Law & Order reboot
By Cody Schultz
From the moment NBC first announced it would be bringing back Law and Order for a 21st season, all eyes have been on which members of the show’s original cast might return for the revival’s upcoming season.
While the series starred many iconic stars over the years in both series regular, recurring and guest roles, it’s hard not to hear Law and Order and not think about S. Epatha Merkerson.
Prior to joining the cast of Chicago Med, Merkerson appeared in nearly 400 episodes of the series as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren making her one of the show’s longest-running cast members across its initial 20-season run.
So when NBC announced Law and Order would be returning, the first question on the minds of many Chicago Med fans became whether Merkerson might choose to leave Med behind in order to join the cast of Law and Order season 21. While there did appear to be a reason for concern, the odds of Merkerson appearing in season 21 is looking far less likely.
Is S. Epatha Merkerson leaving Chicago Med?
As first reported by Deadline, NBC has cast Camryn Manheim as a series regular for the upcoming 21st season of Law and Order in the role of Lt. Kate Dixon, the successor to Merkerson’s Lt. Van Buren.
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Manheim has essentially been cast in season 21 as the replacement to Merkerson’s character due to the fact that Merkerson is not available to reprise the role due to her commitments to Chicago Med. In other words, Merkerson will not be leaving Med to rejoin the Law and Order cast.
Will S. Epatha Merkerson be in the Law and Order reboot?
Currently, there are no confirmed plans for S. Epatha Merkerson to appear in the upcoming 21st season of Law and Order; however, there is a chance Merkerson could reprise her role as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren at some time on the show.
As we’ve seen as recently as this season, NBC has allowed other members of the Chicago Med cast to take time away from the series for filming other projects. Given both Chicago Med and Law and Order are both NBC dramas and Wolf Entertainment productions, it seems likely the powers that be could find a way for Merkerson to appear in a guest role in season 21 or in any future seasons they might plan.
Next. Who’s in, who’s out on Chicago Fire, Med and PD. dark
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