S. Epatha Merkerson reveals if she would ever reprise her ‘Law & Order’ role
These days, S. Epatha Merkerson is known for playing head of patient and medical services Sharon Goodwin on “Chicago Med.”
But before her “Chicago Med” days, Merkerson was a staple in another long-running NBC drama also created by executive producer Dick Wolf: She memorably played NYPD Lt. Anita Van Buren in the original “Law & Order” series.
Merkerson appeared in more than 380 episodes of “Law & Order” — which also just celebrated its 500th episode — between 1993 and 2010, and since 2015, she has starred in 175 episodes and counting of “Chicago Med.”
The question is, now that she’s played iconic roles in both shows, would Merkerson ever return to “Law & Order”?
“I don’t think Dick (Wolf) will let me,” she said during a visit to the 3rd hour of TODAY May 16. She was joined by two other members of the “One Chicago” franchise: “Chicago Fire” star Miranda Rae Mayo and “Chicago P.D.” star Jason Beghe.
“The whole ‘One Chicago’ has been such a hit that I don’t know if they will allow me,” Merkerson continued. “It would be coming home because I live in New York. I would love it, but I’ve had a great time in Chicago. I’m not complaining. It’s a great group of people.”
It sounds like Sharon Goodwin might not be making any visits to the Big Apple anytime soon, but Merkerson once said that if she ever did return to the “Law & Order” universe, it would make sense for her to appear as her “Chicago Med” character instead of Anita Van Buren.
She also shared her vision for a crossover with “Law & Order: SVU” during the 2022 NBCUniversal upfront in New York City.
“I think it would be, like, really cool if at some point we do a crossover, and Olivia Benson and I cross paths,” she said, referencing Mariska Hargitay's famous “SVU” character, Capt. Olivia Benson.
“Chicago Fire” star Taylor Kinney jumped in with a suggestion of what Olivia Benson might say: “Do I know you?”
During her visit to TODAY, Merkerson reflected on her 17 consecutive seasons on “Law & Order” and her nine seasons on “Chicago Med,” saying it’s “been great to be a part of both of these shows.”
“Listen, I ain’t mad at nobody,” she said. “I’ve literally worked for NBC and Dick Wolf for 32 years.”
Merkerson, Mayo and Beghe stopped by TODAY ahead of their shows' finales, which all air on NBC on May 22, starting with "Chicago Med" at 8 p.m. ET, followed by "Chicago Fire" at 9 p.m. ET and "Chicago P.D." at 10 p.m. ET.
The shows will also stream the following day on Peacock.
(Peacock is part of our parent company, NBCUniversal.)
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
