JamesG
04-06-2026, 04:20 PM
Jill Hennessy Says "Law & Order" was About to be Cancelled When She Joined, Under Pressure to Cast Women
by Derek Lawrence
April 6, 2026
The case was almost closed on "Law & Order" decades ago, according to a former star.
Premiering in 1990, the Dick Wolf-created series has run for 25 seasons and launched six spinoffs, but alum Jill Hennessy contends that the mothership was on life support when she was cast in 1993 as Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid.
"At that point, it wasn't well-known," she told Yahoo in a recent interview. "I came in the fourth season, and it was about to be cancelled."
"Dick Wolf was being pressured to add women to the cast, so they decided to add two female characters, Epatha and myself," Hennessy revealed. "And within that year, the ratings went up — and it just got more and more successful."
https://ew.com/jill-hennessy-says-law-and-order-was-about-to-be-canceled-when-she-joined-11943457
by Derek Lawrence
April 6, 2026
The case was almost closed on "Law & Order" decades ago, according to a former star.
Premiering in 1990, the Dick Wolf-created series has run for 25 seasons and launched six spinoffs, but alum Jill Hennessy contends that the mothership was on life support when she was cast in 1993 as Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid.
"At that point, it wasn't well-known," she told Yahoo in a recent interview. "I came in the fourth season, and it was about to be cancelled."
"Dick Wolf was being pressured to add women to the cast, so they decided to add two female characters, Epatha and myself," Hennessy revealed. "And within that year, the ratings went up — and it just got more and more successful."
https://ew.com/jill-hennessy-says-law-and-order-was-about-to-be-canceled-when-she-joined-11943457