After 16 years as Lt. Anita Van Buren, actress S. Epatha Merkerson will be leaving NBC's "Law & Order" at the end of trhe current season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Merkerson, a Maryland resident who has commuted to New York during her tenure on the long-running cop shop drama, is not only an outstanding actress, but one of the few who understands the sociology of what a groundbreaking character like the one she portrayed embodies. I have had the good fortune of interviewing her in New York for a profile and appearing with her on Kweisi Mfume's former show on WBAL, "The Bottom Line."
I can't think of many TV actors I admire more than Merkerson. I was delighted to see her win an Emmy for HBO's "Lackawanna Blues" in 2005. It was richly deserved.
Outside of the first epsiode in March, I have not been watching "Law & Order" this season. But I promise I will tune in to say goodbye to Van Buren. The separation anxiety is already starting to build -- I am not kidding. I really am beginning to miss her already.