Discuss & Rate Female ADAs from the Jack McCoy Era of the Original "Law & Order" [spoilers]

Cafe Society
1

My Roku TV has one whole channel devoted to the original Law & Order. Yup, 24/7. Around the clock. :face_with_spiral_eyes:
It may not include the new re-boot with a white-haired Jack McCoy. I have white hair, but I’m not ready for him to have white hair. So sue me.

As I watch the female ADAs come and go (some willingly, others violently) I thought about setting up a poll to get people’s opinions here, but couldn’t narrow down how to structure it. Mostly I just want y’all’s comments and opinions. As is usual in my threads, these suggestions are not set in concrete, so just opine. Mild hijacks okay, even welcome.

:right_arrow: If there is someone reading this who doesn’t know and doesn’t want to know how some of these women left the show, stop reading here and follow the rope lights on the floor to the nearest exit.

For purposes of this thread, I’m limiting the discussion to prime Jack McCoy seasons 5-20 (1994-2010). Claire Kincaid had already been on board in season 4 when Jack McCoy became her boss (etc.) in season 5.

I’m wondering:

  • Who is/are your favorites?
  • Most competent? Smartest?
  • Most straight-arrow/adhering to the law?
  • Most rogue?
  • Best-dressed?
  • Most obnoxious/the one you can’t stand?

Here they are (the link will take you to pics):

Seasons How they left
Claire Kincaid Seasons 4-6 Died in a car accident.
Jamie Ross Seasons 7-8 Left to spend more time with her family.
Abbie Carmichael Seasons 9-11 Left to work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Serena Southerlyn Seasons 12-15 Fired by D.A. Branch for being too sympathetic to defendants.
Alexandria Borgia Seasons 15-16 Kidnapped and murdered during a case.
Connie Rubirosa Seasons 17-20 Transferred to the Los Angeles D.A.'s office.

If this thread lives, I’ll post my opinions after a bit.

If you want to comment on other characters, please do.

2

Connie was in the Jack as DA era, BTW

3

Claire was my personal favorite. It probably didn’t hurt that she was the first and didn’t have to be compared to anyone. She was followed by the pretty one, the tough one, and the compassionate one. Alexandra and Connie suffered for not being on during the prime Orbach years.

4

Abbie was my favorite. I loved her speech to the serial killer when she said she hoped she pushed the plunger in his execution in Texas where they were going to extradite him.

5

Yeah, that’s an Abby highlight. Serena’s highlight was explaining to Jack that a woman doesn’t go to work with a purse meant for an evening out on the town. Jamie’s highlights include dealing with that sexist judge and with her ex-husband

6

Yeah, she’s on the list. Question?

7

Sorry, just wanted to be clear that one of them didn’t work directly with Jack, but was in the series when the Jack appearances were somewhat fewer

8

Oh, ok. Yeah, Connie mostly worked with Mike Cutter. I couldn’t stand him.

My comments, FWTW-

I wasn’t too fond of Claire. Unfortunately she worked during the Time of Giant Jacket Shoulder Pads. She always looked swamped by her clothes. (I wore them then, too.) She was smart. And competent. I just didn’t warm to her. But holy cow, her death was a terrible shocker.

Jamie was straightforward, no-nonsense, by the book. She got a lot of grief from Jack when she was grappling with her jerk of a husband over custody of their daughter. I loved the episode where Jack gave her a hard time she said, “Fine. I quit!” and walked out. I had fantasies about doing that when I was working.

Abbie was tough as nails, take-no-prisoners. Most assertive of the bunch, I think. She was downright mean during that rape case, until the truth came out about what had happened to her.

Serena was the prettiest, even more so when she started wearing makeup that showed. I was surprised when Branch fired her, but I could see his point. BTW he was my favorite DA (Fred Thompson).

Alex seemed frail to me, not very assertive or self-confident. Often scrambling to keep up. Another shocking departure.

Connie had her hands full dealing with Cutter. She always seemed to be holding back, lingering in the background, not speaking up and telling Mike where to get off when he needed to hear it.

Abbie and Mike Cutter would have been in a perpetual head-butting competition.

Branch was my favorite DA. Adam Schiff took some getting used to. He was stingy with support and compliments, but he did give Jack free rein (except on a few occasions when he stepped in). Did not like Nora Lewin (Dianne Wiest) at all as (interim) DA.

9

I’m pretty sure she was fired for being a lesbian.

Claire and Abbie were my favorites.

10

My rule of thumb is: when I’m watching, who has me most interested in seeing what they’re going to say next? And, here, the answer is: Abbie.

11

Claire: I liked her until I found she was sleeping with Jack. Very unprofesional, I disliked her more when I found out she had daddy issues and slept with a lot of older men who she worked for. If she hadn’t have died, she would almost certainly be disbarred ( I forget which episode that was) for unethical actions. She really wasn’t a great lawyer. Clair best episode was when, under Stone, she inadvertently gave damaging data to the defense, which almost blew the case. Stone was this close to firing her. But he revealed how he had done the same thing,

Jaime: Very competent. I liked when she came back as a defense lawyer and kicked ass, and Schiff says “I knew there was a reason I hired her!”

Abbie: Ah, “Hang 'em high” Abby. She was a great foil and counter for McCoy’s hippie liberal streak. Though I did enjoy the episode where they took opposite positions. (Though you KNOW she voted for trump.)

Serena: Terrible actor, useless lawyer, a limousine liberal (she;s actually proud of her one-day-a-year feeding the homeless charity), and a suck up to the boss. For example, in Nowhere Man, when it become obvious that top appellate lawyer Tenofsky is a fake, Serena quickly suggests to Branch he can throw Schiff under the bus. In DR 1-102, she really didn’t understand what she did wrong. But it’s her supposed lesbianess that ruins the character. There are several episodes before where she tells of dating guys with no hint of a deeper meaning, and in episodes such as Gov Love she takes the “wrong” position on the gay issues (especially if she is out). I don’t think they knew she was gay until her final episode. I actually think they show runners are making fun of the actress with that revelation. She’s probably thinking this is her Emmy episode, but instead she’s a punchline.

Borgia: I’m sorry, but I always see her as the exotic dancer/gold digger from the actress’ first appearance. And since she was brutally murdered (beaten, left in a trunk, and choked on her own blood, alone) I just can’t watch her. It’s too sad, knowing what’s coming. (Also, I can’t stand Fontana)

Connie:I liked most of her appearances. I liked how she make herself the “unindicted co-conspirator” to catch a murdering crooked lawyer (who was also a crooked fiancee to Wheeler in CI - he’s a repeat offender) Though it did sort of seem she was there only to look beautiful. She really didn’t add anything to L&O:LA, I think they only brought her in because Terrance Howard had…issues.

So my ranking is
Abbie-Jamie tie
Connie
Alexandra
Claire
Serena

Bonus: If you went beyond Jack McCoy, Sam Maroun is THE WORST. She should be disbarred, if not prosecuted. She drugged her own witness! Plus, she fights again Price on every case.

12

I didn’t think so, but :woman_shrugging:t4: who knows for sure?

That bothered me, too, even though I slept with my boss in the late 1970s. Again :woman_shrugging:t4: Me: hypocrisy, double standard.

Ironic, because with other ADAs, it was Jack who was always pushing for the death penalty.

In the series Person of Interest, the actress played a cold-blooded/professional assassin. Seeing her in that was a mind-blower.

I’m one of two people in the world who liked Fontana. The other one was his mother.

13

You might not remember, but in the episode where she’s fired, she asks, “Is it because I’m a lesbian?” I don’t remember any mention of her sexuality prior to that final episode so the question just came out of the blue. It just left me puzzled.

14

I do remember. Branch said no, and I believed him. But you didn’t believe him when he said that?

15

I was joking. It came out of the blue and I found the lesbian question took me out of the scene.

16

If you go by that standard, Briscoe is a lawyer and Casey Novak (SVU) is a rapist.

17

I don’t. It only applies to Annie Parisse. :slight_smile: No real reason

18

And strangely, she also died in a parked car.

19

She should stick to public transportation.

About PofI: When that series came out, it was pure science fiction. Not so much anymore.

20

and Lt Van Buren is a graveyard shift janitor whose child was brutally murdered.