“Law & Order” is one of those shows that feels like it will always be part of the cultural conversation — but one of its stars, Jill Hennessy, previously led a hit 1990s show that’s rarely talked about today. Hennessy appeared on “Law & Order” Seasons 4, 5, and 6 as assistant district attorney Claire Kincaid from 1993 to 1996. Several years later, the Canadian actor got cast in another procedural drama called “Crossing Jordan,” this time as the show’s lead. The NBC show kicked off in 2001 and followed Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a forensic pathologist working to solve crimes in Massachusetts.
The series also boasted something of an ensemble cast, highlighting the connections Hennessy’s character had with her peers in medicine and law enforcement. Some of her costars would either go on to be huge stars, like Mahershala Ali, Kathryn Hahn, and Leslie Bibb, and others already had notoriety, like Jerry O’Connell.
Jill Hennessy led Crossing Jordan to its surprise cancellation
Jill Hennessy led “Crossing Jordan” for six seasons and 117 episodes from 2001 to 2007, and her work was truly the cornerstone of the series. After the conclusion of Season 2 in 2003, the show went on a hiatus to accommodate and support Hennessy’s real-life pregnancy, pushing Season 3 back nearly a year and shortening the episode count.
When the show’s sixth season came around, its finale was being promoted by the network as a major cliffhanger. Fans of “Crossing Jordan” might remember how a terrifying plane crash makes up the central plot of the show’s finale. Originally, that huge plot point wasn’t going to be resolved within the episode so they could use the mystery to fuel a Season 7 premiere episode.
Despite a dedicated fanbase that followed the show around different time slots and decent, if wavering, ratings throughout the majority of its run, the show saw a dip in its viewership, which seemed to have some hand in NBC’s decision to cancel the show unexpectedly toward the end of Season 6. The creatives behind “Crossing Jordan” then scrapped the cliffhanger in favor of an ending with more closure for Hennessy and her peers.
