Serena Southerlyn
Encyclopedia
Serena Southerlyn is a fictional character
(played by Elisabeth Röhm
) on the long-running NBC
drama series Law & Order
.
's office in 2001 as an ADA, replacing Abbie Carmichael
(Angie Harmon
). She worked under District Attorneys Nora Lewin
(Dianne Wiest
) and Arthur Branch
(Fred Thompson) and Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy
(Sam Waterston
). She was the second longest serving junior ADA in the history of the series, after Connie Rubirosa
(Alana de la Garza
), though ADA Casey Novak
(Diane Neal
) served for a longer period of time on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
.
She often disagrees and fights with McCoy over their trial strategies in cases where she sees the defendant's crime as a byproduct of social circumstances, such as homelessness
or racism
. She has an especially troubled relationship with Branch, a conservative
who replaced Lewin as District Attorney
in 2002.
She has a younger brother, as she mentions on episode "Married with Children".
's Disciplinary Committee in 2002 after promising to get legal help for a murder
suspect who had taken hostage
s, to get him to release his prisoners. The man had a knife to a woman's throat and demanded a lawyer. Southerlyn, who happened to be in the area, volunteered to enter the store where the holdup was taking place, to negotiate the hostage's release. Since the man had asked for a lawyer, the committee attempts to paint Southerlyn's actions as fraud
ulent, since she was supposedly representing herself as his lawyer (which she denies), when she was in fact a district attorney. McCoy, who had once been brought before the committee himself, represents her. She is reprimanded, but keeps her law license.
In another episode, a murder suspect marries a gay
witness who was supposed to testify against him and therefore claimed spousal privilege
, denying crucial testimony. When McCoy starts a campaign to declare all gay marriages in New York illegal, Southerlyn refuses to help him.
Southerlyn is also portrayed as opposing the death penalty.
?" In response, Branch assures her, "No. Of course not. No." Her final line is "Good...Good." This is the first and only instance that Southerlyn's homosexuality
was ever explicitly mentioned, although there had been subtle hints in earlier episodes. In the 2004 episode "," she had shown discomfort over a case in which McCoy successfully sought to have same-sex marriage
declared illegal in New York in order to get testimony from a gay defendant's spouse. Southerlyn had objected to this and refused to assist McCoy, but her sexual orientation was never mentioned. In another episode, an elderly woman asked Southerlyn if she was married or had a boyfriend; she said that she wasn't, but the manner in which she stumbled over her response indicated discomfort with the topic and hinted at "something more" behind her answer.
She mentions in "Shangri-La" that she dated a male college student while she was still in high school and that he is now a New York State Senator.
Series creator Dick Wolf
later explained at the Television Critics Association
press tour that he had consulted Röhm before scripting the scene — the only Wolf-authored scene in the installment — saying, "Do you want to go out with a bang or a whimper?" He characterized the scene as "unabashedly a water-cooler moment
. And the fact that we're discussing it shows that I think it worked as a water-cooler moment." Wolf also noted the effectiveness of the device by reporting that the show's main online chat room
"crashed 15 minutes after the show was over," although critic Alan Pergament joked in his column that the response came not because viewers approved, but "because many fans thought the out-of-left field ending was a crime."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
(played by Elisabeth Röhm
Elisabeth Röhm
Elisabeth Röhm is a German-born American television actress. She is known for playing Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn in the American TV series Law & Order, and as Detective Kate Lockley in the TV series Angel....
) on the long-running NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
drama series Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
.
Character overview
Southerlyn joined the District AttorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
's office in 2001 as an ADA, replacing Abbie Carmichael
Abbie Carmichael
Abigail "Abbie" Carmichael is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by model/actress Angie Harmon...
(Angie Harmon
Angie Harmon
Angela Michelle "Angie" Harmon is an American fashion model and television/film actress. She became a well-known model before gaining international fame for her roles in Baywatch Nights and Law & Order....
). She worked under District Attorneys Nora Lewin
Nora Lewin
Nora Lewin was a fictional character on the TV show Law & Order, played by two-time Academy Award winning actress Dianne Wiest from 2000 to 2002. Her character was particularly notable for the fact that she was the first woman in the program's history to hold the position of New York County...
(Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest is an American actress. She has had a successful career on stage, television, and film, and has won two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Wiest has also been nominated for a BAFTA Award.-Early life:...
) and Arthur Branch
Arthur Branch
Arthur Branch is a fictional attorney and a regular character on the TV crime dramas Law & Order and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Branch has also appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Conviction....
(Fred Thompson) and Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy
Jack McCoy
John James "Jack" McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama Law & Order, created by Michael S. Chernuchin and played by Sam Waterston since 1994. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, after Lt. Anita Van Buren . On January 28, 2009, McCoy's character ended the longest...
(Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
). She was the second longest serving junior ADA in the history of the series, after Connie Rubirosa
Connie Rubirosa
Assistant District Attorney / Deputy District Attorney Consuela "Connie" Rubirosa is a fictional character, portrayed by Alana de la Garza, who joined the cast of long-running NBC drama series Law & Order during the 17th season premiere episode "Fame". She is the only second-chair ADA of Law &...
(Alana de la Garza
Alana de la Garza
Alana de la Garza is an American actress. She is most famous for her role as A.D.A. Connie Rubirosa on the television series Law & Order and its short-lived spin-off, Law & Order: LA.-Biography:...
), though ADA Casey Novak
Casey Novak
Casey Novak is a fictional character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Diane Neal. She is the only female assistant district attorney to have appeared in five complete seasons in any Law & Order series and the longest-running ADA in the entire franchise.-Character:Casey Novak is a...
(Diane Neal
Diane Neal
Diane Neal is an American actress widely known for her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Biography:...
) served for a longer period of time on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
.
She often disagrees and fights with McCoy over their trial strategies in cases where she sees the defendant's crime as a byproduct of social circumstances, such as homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
or racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. She has an especially troubled relationship with Branch, a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
who replaced Lewin as District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
in 2002.
She has a younger brother, as she mentions on episode "Married with Children".
Notable conflicts in the series
Southerlyn is brought before the New York Supreme Court, Appellate DivisionNew York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
The Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division is the intermediate appellate court in New York State. The Appellate Division is composed of four departments .*The First Department covers the Bronx The Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division is the intermediate...
's Disciplinary Committee in 2002 after promising to get legal help for a murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
suspect who had taken hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s, to get him to release his prisoners. The man had a knife to a woman's throat and demanded a lawyer. Southerlyn, who happened to be in the area, volunteered to enter the store where the holdup was taking place, to negotiate the hostage's release. Since the man had asked for a lawyer, the committee attempts to paint Southerlyn's actions as fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
ulent, since she was supposedly representing herself as his lawyer (which she denies), when she was in fact a district attorney. McCoy, who had once been brought before the committee himself, represents her. She is reprimanded, but keeps her law license.
In another episode, a murder suspect marries a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
witness who was supposed to testify against him and therefore claimed spousal privilege
Spousal privilege
In the law of the United States, the spousal privilege comprises two separate privileges, the marital confidences privilege and the spousal testimonial privilege....
, denying crucial testimony. When McCoy starts a campaign to declare all gay marriages in New York illegal, Southerlyn refuses to help him.
Southerlyn is also portrayed as opposing the death penalty.
Departure and sexuality
Röhm left the show in the middle of the fifteenth season, and made her last appearance in the episode "Ain't No Love." Her departure was noteworthy due to a surprising conversation between Southerlyn and Branch in the very last scene of the episode. At the close of the show, Branch dismisses Southerlyn because he feels she is too sympathetic toward defendants, and that her emotions get in the way of looking at the facts. A stunned Southerlyn pauses for a moment, then asks, "Is this because I'm a lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
?" In response, Branch assures her, "No. Of course not. No." Her final line is "Good...Good." This is the first and only instance that Southerlyn's homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
was ever explicitly mentioned, although there had been subtle hints in earlier episodes. In the 2004 episode "," she had shown discomfort over a case in which McCoy successfully sought to have same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
declared illegal in New York in order to get testimony from a gay defendant's spouse. Southerlyn had objected to this and refused to assist McCoy, but her sexual orientation was never mentioned. In another episode, an elderly woman asked Southerlyn if she was married or had a boyfriend; she said that she wasn't, but the manner in which she stumbled over her response indicated discomfort with the topic and hinted at "something more" behind her answer.
She mentions in "Shangri-La" that she dated a male college student while she was still in high school and that he is now a New York State Senator.
Series creator Dick Wolf
Dick Wolf
Richard Anthony "Dick" Wolf is an American producer, specializing in crime dramas such as Miami Vice and the Law & Order franchise. Throughout his career he has won several awards including an Emmy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Early life:Wolf was born in New York City, the son...
later explained at the Television Critics Association
Television Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
press tour that he had consulted Röhm before scripting the scene — the only Wolf-authored scene in the installment — saying, "Do you want to go out with a bang or a whimper?" He characterized the scene as "unabashedly a water-cooler moment
Water cooler
A water cooler or water dispenser is a device that cools and dispenses water. They are generally broken up in two categories: bottleless and bottled water coolers...
. And the fact that we're discussing it shows that I think it worked as a water-cooler moment." Wolf also noted the effectiveness of the device by reporting that the show's main online chat room
Chat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
"crashed 15 minutes after the show was over," although critic Alan Pergament joked in his column that the response came not because viewers approved, but "because many fans thought the out-of-left field ending was a crime."