Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Here is the definitive ranking … Eric Liebowitz/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images, Credit: This is where our No. NBC aired its final “Law and Order” episode last night, quietly ending the run of the show tied for the longest running drama in television history. In 2013, TV Guide ranked Law & Order #14 on their list of the 60 Greatest Shows of All Time. Law & Order also became famous for its cast turnover: 25 different actors filled the six regular roles on the show, and no combination lasted longer than 2 1/2 seasons together. 1 ADA, Alexandra Cabot, gets her ferocity. Michael Parmelee/NBC/Getty Images, Credit: Law and Order: LA (2010-2011) This was the first Law and Order show of the franchise to occur outside of New York City. And while they're the ones chasing and shaking down criminals, we can't forget their equally important counterparts—the assistant district attorneys—who help get the creeps behind bars. Law & Order 25th Anniversary: ADAs Through the Years After years of working as Jack McCoy's assistant DA on Law & Order, Abbie Carmichael makes the jump to … Known for its revolving cast, most of the original stars had left the show within the first five seasons; though Dann Florek reprised his role of … All the ADAs of Law & Order: SVU, ranked All the ADAs of Law & Order: SVU, ranked. Haden, an executive ADA temporarily assigned to the Manhattan DA's office, was secretly dating Olivia. SVU's prevalence on television has led to several cultural phenomenon over the years, including creating the original binge sessions (who hasn't found themselves lost in a marathon on a random Saturday afternoon? She is the youngest of three daughters. Overview of Assistant District Attorneys/Assistant State's Attorneys/Deputy District Attorneys. Like the original Law and Order series, half of the show was focused on the police investigation of the crime, and the other half was focused on the prosecution by the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. Chester Lake was beautiful, but he didn't last very long. “Law & Order” premiered in 1990 and ran for 20 seasons, spawning six spin-offs (and counting) as it became one of the most successful franchises in television history. What are your best and worst? Even when she’s bending the rules, it’s for a good reason. She struggled with cancer — and her lover left as a result — but managed to persevere when hired temporarily by Jack McCoy. Before scraping off New York scum from the judge’s chair, Cabot's mentor Elizabeth Donnelly made a name for herself as a district attorney, racking up victory after victory. Kim Greylek (Michaela McManus) — Season 10, 11. Alexandra Cabot is a fighter, tackling everything from complex war crimes to dismantling the typically lecherous (and fictional) Hudson University. Too good for us all, she eventually took a job prosecuting sex crimes in war-torn countries. Apparently, setting the show in Los Angeles didn’t have the same vibe as New York. Who is your favorite Law and Order: SVU ADA? Virginia Sherwood/NBC/Getty Images, Credit: Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Michael Cutter (Linus Roache) — Season 13, 6. Bureau Chiefs are technically still ADAs but are heads of their departments. That was only made worse when she not only botched a case, but showed up to court the next day drunk, landing her in rehab and on a redemption tour that never quite stuck. 27 on Entertainment Weekly 's "New TV Classics" list. Casey Novak (Diane Neal) — Seasons 5-9, 2. "Law & Order" premiered in 1990 and ran for 20 seasons, spawning six spin-offs (and counting) as it became one of the most successful franchises in television history. Jessica Burstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images, Credit: In 2002, Law & Order was ranked No. Rohm is credited in a total of 85 episodes of the Law & Order. The fourth ADA to team up with SVU after Carmichael, Cabot, and Novac, Kim Greyleck was nicknamed “The Crusader” at her previous job with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. Justin Stephens/NBC/Getty Images, Credit: Sherri West (Francie Swift) — Season 12, 7. SVU has also delivered one of the most famous on-screen duos, Benson and Stabler. There have been 12 in SVU's 17-season history, and we're running through them all, from our least favorite to the ultimate ADA. Law & Order: SVU is one of prime time television’s longest-running shows. The Best ADAs on Law and Order: SVU, Ranked | Glamour image #5. She has since returned to Washington, D.C. Jo Marlowe, Elliot Stabler’s former partner, didn’t have long as the ADA, but her presence in the courtroom is unforgettable. After the verdict in one of Olivia's past cases was overturned, Haden was assigned to a committee investigating past convictions, causing a conflict of interest and forcing them to break up. Casey was a tenacious ADA, relentless in her quest for justice, causing her to regularly clash with SVU until she learned how to be a team player. The Hottest Field in Law? And well, given that we watch a lot of television, we'd like to extend that theory to the long-running series Law and Order: SVU—turn on your TV at any random moment, and we'd say you're about 80 percent (maybe even more) likely to catch any one of its 370 episodes playing. Law and Order: LA was the most short-lived show in the franchise. See: Law & Order character Abbie Carmichael served as the ADA in SVU for six episodes, including the series premiere. Mayhem, Season 4, Episode 17. Following the major exit of original star Christopher Meloni, SVU needed the fill the void with a few familiar faces, hence adding flagship star Roche alongside returning fan-favorite Stephanie March in the season 13 premiere. The DA's office discovers that a former prosecutor now working as a defense attorney has been getting damaging witnesses in his trials killed, and that Rubirosa was unknowingly a co-conspirator in one of his cases. This short-lived, albeit memorable ADA appeared in only one episode, in which she offered opposing council a vacation as a stall tactic, and was immediately fired by the DA. Novak was eventually suspended for misconduct, later replaced by Kim Greylek. Gillian Hardwick (Melissa Sagemiller) — Season 12, 8. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. ), cultivating a serious Stabler obsession, becoming a pit-stop on the way to Hollywood, and permanently imprinting its opener into our heads ("In the criminal justice system..."). This makes her character, Serena Southerlyn tied with Connie Rubirosa (portrayed by Alana de la Garza) as the longest-serving assistant district attorney in the original Law & Order series in terms of the number of episodes featured (not including crossovers on other shows). © 2021 Condé Nast. David Goreman Janice Connolly 1 Law & Order 1.1 Main Characters 1.2 Recurring Characters 1.3 Guest Characters 2 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 2.1 Main Characters 2.2 Recurring Characters 3 Law & Order… Abbie Carmichael (Angie Harmon) — Season 1, 4. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. SVU has also delivered one of the most famous on-screen duos, Benson and Stabler. Though, one loss haunted her for years and clouded her judgment when the perpetrator finally resurfaced. Eric Liebowitz/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank, Credit: The "Law & Order" Prosecutor Hotness Rankings Sure, we could judge them by their skills as lawyers, but it's way more fun to be shallow. Credit: She moved to Littleton, Colorado, when her father was promoted to the position of federal attorney in Denver. Chester Lake. via. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 16) - Wikipedia image #6. More than a dozen ADAs have made their mark over the last 19 seasons of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, from the beloved — Cabot, Barba — to the reviled — looking at you, Paxton. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Rohm is credited in a total of 85 episodes of the Law & Order. As Mikka's replacement, the tough ADA transfered from Brooklyn because she revered Stabler and Benson, tending to side with the latter on being more lenient and compassionate toward small-time offenders. Marlowe left her post after a hostage situation nearly took the life of M.E. Today’s biggest stories, from pop culture to politics—delivered straight to your inbox. Sonya Paxton (Christine Lahti) — Season 11, 12. By Natalie Abrams and Nick Romano. Will Hart/NBC/Getty Images, Credit: Before Alexandra Cabot came to claim her ADA crown, Abbie Carmichael — a familiar face from Law & Order proper — provided her courtroom talents to the SVU gang. Cool, collected, and precise, Sherri West commands the courtroom — even when dealing with that grey area of justice. Law and Order didn't reach its peak until the start of Season 5, but that doesn't mean the show's first four seasons didn't feature some of the best stories. The series began with detectives Jaruszaleski and Winters as the main investigators, however, when Winters was lost in the line of duty, ADA Morales returned to police work. I am obsessed with Law & Order: SVU, so I have decided to rank of all the main characters we have seen over the last 18 seasons. Law order: svu : diane neal played another character on the show before she became ada casey novak allegedly calls co star mariska hargitay a total bitch adas ranked ew com d photo (30113215) fanpop and order It’s almost poetic. The American television police procedural and legal drama Law & Order (1990–2010) follows the cases of a group of police detectives and prosecutors who represent the public interest in the criminal justice system. The first eight seasons of Law & Order, Dick Wolf’s cops-and-courts procedural that launched five spinoffs and tied up a bunch of New … 16. The Law & Order franchise has seen a fair share of detectives cops and ADAs walk through their doors. These best SVU episodes … All rights reserved. To revisit this article, select My⁠ ⁠Account, then View saved stories. Ranking the Lawyers - WSJ image #7. Check out our ranking of the SVU ADAs. Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) — Seasons 2-5. Where past ADAs found camaraderie with SVU, the scrupulous Barba was always determined to win his case, even if that meant contending with everyone from the victim to Olivia & Co. After becoming the longest serving ADA on the series, Barba resigned amid his controversial decision to pull the plug on a braindead child. Jo Marlowe (Sharon Stone) — Season 11, 10. Offers may be subject to change without notice. ), cultivating a serious Stabler obsession, becoming a pit-stop on the way to Hollywood, and permanently imprinting its opener into our heads ("In the criminal justice system..."). Though she eventually showed some latent vulnerability, Sonya was murdered by a cold case killer suspect, biting him before she died so SVU could catch her killer. All The Detectives From 'Law & Order,' Ranked image. Law & Order (1990–2010) Series Cast & Crew. The no-nonsense ADA first joined the ranks following a revolving door of ADAs that included Cabot, Novak, Haden, Cutter, eventually landing a permanent slot in season 15. Glamour may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. This makes her character, Serena Southerlyn tied with Connie Rubirosa (portrayed by Alana de la Garza) as the longest-serving assistant district attorney in the original Law & Order series in terms of the number of episodes featured (not including crossovers on other shows). And well, given that we watch a lot of television, we'd like to extend that theory to the long-running series Law and Order: SVU—turn on your TV at any random moment, and we'd say you're about 80 percent (maybe even more) likely to catch any one of its 370 episodes playing. Best: Nobody beats Munch and Lennie Briscoe. Some more memorable than others but the best ADAs that stuck with fans came from SVU.Throughout the show's time on television, it has had six ADAs with Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza) being a fan favorite who made his first debut in season 15. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. The show also placed No. As Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU have been on for decades they've seen dozens of actors come and go with the franchise. 13. Her introduction was rocky, since her ADA predecessor, Casey Novak, was censured over a misstep at trial, but she proved her might — and her trustworthiness. I was just looking for a way to justify why I didn’t leave my house last weekend. Taking over as ADA after Gillian Hardwicke, she had to deal with a woman who claimed to have been raped by the same man all over the country, a teen predator accusing Elliot Stabler of assault, and a rape victim murdered right before she was supposed to testify. Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza) — Seasons 14-19, 3. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. There have been 12 in SVU's 17-season history, and we're running through them all, from our least favorite to the ultimate ADA. Kevin Foley/NBC/Getty Images; Will Hart/NBC/Getty Images (2), Credit: Whether you agree or not is up to you – frankly, I don’t really care. And while they're the ones chasing and shaking down criminals, we can't forget their equally important counterparts—the assistant district attorneys—who help get the creeps behind bars. Melinda Warner. Neither an assassination attempt nor the Witness Protection Program can keep this ADA down. Elizabeth Donnelly (Judith Light) — Seasons 3-6, 1. Craig Blankenhorn/NBC/Getty Images. Being a self-anointed SVU addict/expert, I figured it was my duty – no, my obligation – to power rank the sixteen best “regular” characters on Law and Order: SVU for you. 16. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is making history this season: No other scripted American primetime series has ever made it to 21 seasons. Here's a random trivia factoid for you: At any given time in the world, you have an 80 percent chance of hearing a Journey song on the radio. So, Cutter briefly joined SVU as the Bureau Chief after being demoted by Jack McCoy. Legal Ranking: 5 out of 5 gavels The first ADA in SVU history, Cabot racked up the best conviction rating—setting the bar high for all of … Spread the love with EW's Valentine's Day gift guide. Ad Choices, The Best ADAs on Law and Order: SVU, Ranked, Here's a random trivia factoid for you: At any given time in the world, you have an 80 percent chance of hearing a Journey song on the radio. 24 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. Actress | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Diane Neal was born in Alexandria, Virginia. Legal Ranking: 5 out of 5 gavels The first ADA in SVU history, Cabot racked up the best conviction rating—setting the bar high for all of her followers. One of the most reviled Executive ADAs in the show's history, Sonya filled in for Cabot across a handful of season 11 episodes, immediately clashing with SVU, particularly Stabler, for being both cynical and ambitious. David Haden (Harry Connick Jr) — Season 13, 5. With Jeremy Sisto, Anthony Anderson, S. Epatha Merkerson, Linus Roache. Worst: Has to be Robert Goren, who made most episodes of Criminal Intent nearly unwatchable. NBC, Credit: She also had one of the most epic exits from SVU in season five, when she is "killed" by a drive-by shooting and enters the witness protection program after prosecuting a notorious drug lord and rapist. Directed by (78) Writing credits (114) Cast (6,870) Produced by (142) Music by (2) Cinematography by (13) Film Editing by (29) Casting By (6) Production Design by (5) Art Direction by (10) Set Decoration by (14) Costume Design by (7) Makeup Department (50) After handling a college murder and an odd brotherly relationship, her final case in the debut season involved the death of a salesman. Casey was always going to have big shoes to fill, taking up the mantle of ADA in the wake of Cabot's supposed death — she actually went into the Witness Protection Program. 10. This list only includes those who are considered main characters, no reoccurring characters are included. We're looking back at the 30 best Law and Order SVU episodes, ranked, ahead of the Season 22 premiere. SVU's prevalence on television has led to several cultural phenomenon over the years, including creating the original binge sessions (who hasn't found themselves lost in a marathon on a random Saturday afternoon? 4. Directed by William Klayer.