John James "Jack" McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama Law & Order. He was created by Michael S. Chernuchin and portrayed by Sam Waterston from 1994 until the end of the series in 2010. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, after Lt. Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson). He appeared in 368 episodes of Law & Order, three episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, two episodes of Law & Order: Trial by Jury, two episodes of , and the made-for-TV movie .