Who Played ADA Serena Southerlyn On Law & Order?
The NBC series "Law & Order" holds an esteemed place among television shows as one of the longest-running scripted primetime shows in television history. With 22 seasons under its belt, the show is only surpassed by its spinoff series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," which is at 24 seasons and counting.
The show's run has produced a number of notable characters, both on the law side and the order side. One of them is Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn. Southerlyn joined the show in the Season 12 premiere, eventually appearing in 85 episodes of the show's run and becoming one of the longest-running ADAs on "Law & Order."
Southerlyn's sympathy for the circumstances of the people being prosecuted was a key aspect of the character, as she often speaks out about how racism or poverty drives people to criminal activity. She also speaks against the death penalty in a number of episodes and comes out as a lesbian in her final episode. Here's who played ADA Serena Southerlyn on "Law & Order."
Elisabeth Röhm has had a long career in television
The character of ADA Serena Southerlyn is played by Elisabeth Röhm. Röhm started her career on the soap opera "One Life To Live," but it was the period between 1999 and 2001 that she really rose to fame. Röhm joined the cast of the supernatural detective series "Angel," starting in the series' second episode as Detective Kate Lockley. Lockley is a dedicated police officer who encounters Angel during an investigation, with the two forming a mutually beneficial friendship. Lockley's discovery of supernatural creatures ultimately leads to an obsessive dislike of them, leading to a suicide attempt that Angel saves her from.
During this time, Röhm also appeared on the TNT stock market drama "Bull." On the show, Röhm plays Alison Jeffers, a member of a start-up investment firm started by Robert Roberts III (George Newbern) who starts the firm to rival the juggernaut run by his own family for generations.
Following her time on "Law & Order," Röhm made a number of guest appearances on shows such as "The Mentalist," "CSI: Miami," and "90210." Her most prominent roles came in the NBC series "Heroes," where she plays Lauren Gilmore, a CIA agent and co-worker of Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman). Röhm also appeared in the Lifetime series "The Client List" as Taylor Berkhalter, the CBS procedural "Stalker" as Amanda Taylor, and the TNT series "The Last Ship" as Allison Shaw. In 2021, Röhm added directing to her skillset, stepping behind the camera for the Lifetime movie "Girl in the Basement." She also directed the "Law & Order" Season 22 episode "Only the Lonely."