Elizabeth Rodgers

LawandOrderCharacter
name = Assistant Chief Medical Examiner Elizabeth Rodgers


time on show = 1992—present ("Law & Order")
1999—2000 (')
2001—present (')
succeeded = Incumbent ("L&O", "CI")
Melinda Warner ("SVU")
proceeded =
start = "The Fertile Fields" ("L&O")
"" ("SVU")
"" ("CI")
finish = "" ("SVU")
portrayed = Leslie Hendrix

Elizabeth Rodgers is a recurring character in the fictional universe of the crime drama franchise "Law & Order". She is played by Leslie Hendrix.

Rodgers is dedicated to her work and finds it frustrating when she is badgered by the police for results when she doesn't have them yet. She sometimes finds herself in conflict with the police, most notably with Det. Mike Logan and Det. John Munch, the latter of whom made several sexual overtures towards Rodgers while receiving the results of an autopsy.

She also has an affinity for classical music, saying once that she missed an Itzhak Perlman concert to perform an autopsy. When making an impression of bite marks on the back of an acclaimed opera conductor in the ("CI": "Dramma Giacoso"), she complimented him on his production of Aida. ("One of the best nights of my life. Lennie Briscoe took me.")

Rodgers also reads many crime novels; she reviews them for small magazines. In ("L&O": "The Family Hour"), Rodgers named a book that may have influenced the defendant in the murder. When she named the book, the police had not been able to find when they searched the defendant's home, since he was also a crime novel reader. However, the book didn't include the details that she had thought, but instead that scenario was in another book (this scenario is a reference to Law & Order's role in the Andrea Yates case). Because of this, she wrote a letter to the judge explaining her mistake. When McCoy wanted to give the letter to the judge and leave the reference out of his summation, Branch stopped him and made Connie Rubirosa, the younger and less experienced ADA, do the summation instead. Though they ended up getting the guilty verdict without giving the judge the letter or mentioning the novel, Rodgers was upset by her mistake and thought it ruined her reputation as a good witness.

Rodgers is a regularly recurring character on "Law & Order", as well as the spin-off '. She also made several guest appearances during the first season of ', as well as a guest appearance on "". She is currently the longest-running recurring character in "Law & Order" and one of only five characters who have appeared in all four series of the "Law & Order" franchise. The other four are Lennie Briscoe, Ed Green, Arthur Branch, and Elizabeth Olivet.

Rodgers can often been seen eating in the morgue. In several episodes, characters comment on her lunch being near the bodies.

Although it is never officially mentioned on screen, there are several moments that point to a growing relationship between Rodgers and Captain Danny Ross of the major case squad. In ("CI": "Untethered"), Ross and Rodgers can be seen getting into an elevator dressed for going to the theater. It is again hinted at when Capt. Ross asks Rogers for information on Det. Goren. When Goren confronts Ross with this, he shouts at Ross "Did your girlfriend tell you this?!" ("CI": "Frame")