After years in theater, Martin decided to dive into TV and film acting.

Theactor had to leave “Law & Order"to return to theater.

He toldEntertainment Weekly, “It was pretty much time for me.

Jesse L. Martin posing in 2016

I need to get back on stage before I get too scared to do it again.

Admittedly, he has no official project lined up prior to his departure from the longtime running show.

At least not any project that I can sort of announce publicly.

Jesse L. Martin smiling at CW event

But the whole idea is just to get back into that.

Because I’m an actor.

I wanna stay an actor.

Jesse L. Martin smiling

Not that you could’t do that on TV, but I wanna get on stage.”

In an interview withTV Line, he said, “I certainly hope so.

There were a lot of loose ends when Ed Green left the scene, if you will.

Yes, maybe.”

Even though he’s a fan favorite, Martin wasn’t part of either season.

It’s such a shame he missed out on the revival.

Despite this, his career is still thriving.

This decision follows the initial pilot order made in February 2022.

The series order reinforces NBC’s lineup of dramas, with the pilot airing in September 2023.

Martin plays the role of Alec Baker, a behavioral scientist who helps solve high-stake cases.

It also stars Maahra Hill, Travina Springer, Molly Kunz, and Arash DeMaxi.

The promotional video for the series was released last July 2023 onNBC.