Law & Order season 5

The fifth season of Law & Order aired on NBC between September 21, 1994, and May 24, 1995.

Critic Alan Sepinwall considers the season's casting lineup to be the best out of all the seasons of Law & Order.

Cast changes
Jack McCoy (played by Sam Waterston) replaced Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty) as Executive Assistant District Attorney.

Main cast

 * Jerry Orbach as Senior Detective Lennie Briscoe
 * Chris Noth as Junior Detective Det. Mike Logan
 * S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
 * Sam Waterston as Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy
 * Jill Hennessy as Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid
 * Steven Hill as District Attorney Adam Schiff

Recurring cast

 * Dann Florek as Captain Don Cragen
 * Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet

Departure of Chris Noth
After the fifth season, Chris Noth, who played Junior Detective Mike Logan, was let go from the series. His departure made Steven Hill the sole remaining cast member since the show's first season. Noth later reprised his role of Logan in the 1998 television film Exiled: A Law & Order Movie, and later on Law & Order: Criminal Intent from 2005 to 2008.

Critical reception
Alan Sepinwall wrote in TV (The Book) that the casting lineup in season 5 was the best out of all the seasons of Law & Order, stating that it was "[t]he '27 Yankees of L&O casts, featuring not only Hall of Famers at every position but the very best example of each respective role in the franchise's history."