# Discuss & Rate Female ADAs from the Jack McCoy Era of the Original "Law & Order" \[spoilers\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [November 16, 2025, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903 "2025-11-16T16:06:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/21 "2025-11-17T16:39:43Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Ironic, because with other ADAs, it was Jack who was always pushing for the death penalty. When Adam was around, Jack was pro-death penalty and pretty lenient with the police (Adam had to push him to prosecute harder in one case) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/22 "2025-11-17T18:13:28Z")
Jack was a cop’s son. That might have something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/23 "2025-11-17T18:29:53Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Branch was my favorite DA. Adam Schiff took some getting used to. I think Schiff is the absolute gold standard and Branch was just a blowhard. Steven Hill (who played Schiff) could do the gruff and impatient boss, but also the proud mentor, the jokester, and the savvy motivator. The episode where he has to take his wife off of life support should have won him an Emmy - I’ll remember that little whimper for the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/24 "2025-11-17T18:33:30Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > the jokester Adam: Good work. Take the rest of the week off. Jack: It’s Friday. Adam: So it is. See you Monday. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/25 "2025-11-17T18:34:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Serena: Terrible actor, useless lawyer, a limousine liberal Completely agree! I think Steven Hawking could read lines better. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/26 "2025-11-17T18:57:32Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I think Steven Hawking could read lines better. (let’s hope this link works.) > **[audio.wav](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GbbPf2RD8Vpg3JKFbVitAb3dsyK1TUaC/view?usp=drive_link)** > > Google Drive file. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/27 "2025-11-17T19:13:29Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > I think Schiff is the absolute gold standard and Branch was just a blowhard. Who here \ is old enough to remember that Steven Hill as Dan Briggs was the leader of the ORIGINAL _Mission Impossible_ team? Check out this picture! > S1.E1 > > # Pilot > > - **Episode aired Sep 17, 1966** > > "IMF team leader Dan Briggs assembles his team for the first time. " > > ["Mission: Impossible" Pilot (TV Episode 1966) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0649265/?ref_=ttep_ep_1) [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjM3NDA0MDAwNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDcwNjg3MjE@._V1_QL75_UX582_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjM3NDA0MDAwNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDcwNjg3MjE@._V1_QL75_UX582_.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/28 "2025-11-17T20:11:24Z")
The only trouble with Schiff is Steven Hill’s line reading. Too many times it’s like he’s reading cue cards for the first time. But yes, the entirety of the episode “Terminal” was great. “I’m taking the governor to court.” So deadpan! So awesome. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/29 "2025-11-17T21:00:09Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Too many times it’s like he’s reading cue cards … > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > So deadpan! Po- **TAY** -toe \<—\> Po- **TAH** -toe ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/30 "2025-11-17T21:17:11Z")
I’m just now watching season 7, episode 1, Jamie’s first episode. Jack is very sad to see her sitting at Claire’s old desk, and he doesn’t even really want to work with her. But in this episode she is very aggressive! She is really pushing for the death penalty when Jack is willing to back off. I think she mellowed a bit as time went by. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/31 "2025-11-18T00:36:30Z")
Wow. I wonder if I’d recognize his voice better than his face (on a related note, I was watching Lenny talk to a cranky hotel clerk the other day, and the whiny complaint in the clerk’s voice made me check IMDB - and sure enough, it was the guy who played “McNair” in 1776) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/32 "2025-11-18T00:53:50Z")
Everybody and their dog was a guest star on L&O at one time or another. That’s not counting SVU and _Criminal Intent_. * * * * * * In 2012 I asked: > [@Ever been cast as a corpse on any "Law & Order" episode?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829): > > Idle question: have you or any family member/friend ever had a part as a corpse on any of the Law & Order shows (original, CI, SVU)? Whenever I see that already-dead, non-speaking body at the beginning of just about every episode, I imagine the letter or email home: “Mom! Dad! I got my big break! Watch me next Saturday!” Just curious. Seems like with the number of episodes and the number of Dopers, the odds would favor an affirmative answer. ETA: Oops. I guess this belongs in Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/33 "2025-11-18T01:12:07Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’m just now watching season 7, episode 1, Jamie’s first episode. Jack is very sad to see her sitting at Claire’s old desk, and he doesn’t even really want to work with her. It seemed like they always tried to introduce a little “friction” when they introduced a new character–Lennie Briscoe used a couple of ethnic slurs in his first episode, Curtis was stuffy and judgmental–but pretty soon they’re all getting along wonderfully. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/34 "2025-11-18T01:14:54Z")
Ed was a loose cannon who stabilized (and one of the ADAs made promises to the victims’ families that she shouldn’t have). (Fontana was a jerk, through and through). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/35 "2025-11-18T02:21:08Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > It seemed like they always tried to introduce a little “friction” when they introduced a new character The brand new detective on the current run was introduced with both racial/racist subtext, AND had him hide evidence that supported the defense claim of self-defense. > [@Andy\_L](#): > > Fontana was a jerk, through and through And so was Cosgrove. A different kind of jerk. Fontana was “old school” NYPD (rules are for crybaby liberals) but Cosgrove was old skool “why can’t I use the N-word? You people do!” clueless jerk ass. Back to the OP, I loved how Jack tried to manipulate Jaime into giving up her client (when she was a defense atty), and she deftly outmanueverd him and got out from under the conundrum. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/36 "2025-11-18T02:42:31Z")
Agree about Cosgrove. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/37 "2025-11-18T03:42:41Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Fontana was “old school” NYPD I think he was from Chicago. There’s an episode where they meet someone from Chicago, and Fontana starts talking like he’s from that neighborhood, and that they must know some of the same people. Ed thinks he’s just making it up to try to gain the trust of the person they’re talking with, but he says later that it’s true. How he wound up in New York City, and could afford handmade Italian loafers, I don’t recall. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/38 "2025-11-18T06:21:46Z")
I’m that third person who liked Fontana. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/39 "2025-11-18T11:35:49Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I think he was from Chicago. There’s an episode where they meet someone from Chicago, and Fontana starts talking like he’s from that neighborhood, and that they must know some of the same people. Ed thinks he’s just making it up to try to gain the trust of the person they’re talking with, but he says later that it’s true. Ed could be forgiven for that assumption. Fontana also once emphasized with a witness who was a war veteran by talking about his time in Vietnam. When Ed asks him later where he served in Vietnam, he says, “I didn’t.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903/40 "2025-11-18T12:52:35Z")
Love 'em all except Serena Southerlyn (played by Elizabeth Rohm). I couldn’t stand that slow, unnatural way she talked. I’m not sure if it was the actress, or the character. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discuss-rate-female-adas-from-the-jack-mccoy-era-of-the-original-law-order-spoilers/1024903.md?page=3)