Why Carey Lowell's Jamie Ross Left Law & Order

Carey Lowell tackled tons of challenging cases as the hard-nosed defense attorney Jamie Ross in "Law & Order," though she stepped away from the NBC crime procedural after only two seasons.

Introduced in 1996 as the replacement for the deceased Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) in "Law & Order" Season 7, Ross had a major role as the series' new ADA until the end of Season 8. Lowell addressed her "Law & Order" departure in detail during a recent conversation with the Television Academy. The actress shared that her decision ultimately came down to her wanting to spend more time with her newborn daughter. "Law & Order" then wrote Ross out of the story by having her leave her job at the Manhattan District Attorney's office to focus on her family amid her divorce and custody battle.

When asked if she regretted calling it quits so soon, Lowell explained her complicated feelings about the situation. "I sometimes think about what would have been. I could have managed it," she said. "But I also felt like my daughter took priority, and I needed to be there for her. I always said that if I had a wife, I could have continued — you know, if someone was home making the food and doing the shopping and taking care of the kids. But it just wasn't meant to be."

Since the writers of "Law & Order" didn't kill off Jamie Ross when Carey Lowell left, the door was open for her to return in the future; and she did on several occasions. Lowell first resumed defense attorney duties in "Law & Order" Season 10, Episode 5 in 1999, followed by another guest appearance in Season 11, Episode 22 two years later. She also featured as Jamie in the first season of the spin-off show "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" in 2005. At this point, Jamie was working as a judge, though that stint didn't last long.

Seventeen years passed before Lowell rejoined "Law & Order," as the original series was canceled in 2010 following the conclusion of Season 20. When it was revived for Season 21, Lowell's Jamie returned in the 2022 premiere episode, once again taking on the role of the ADA. Her cameo was a huge surprise for viewers, many of whom were thrilled to see Jamie again after so many years. 

Lowell additionally told the Television Academy about her experience filming "Law & Order" Season 21, noting how it differed from the times she was a main cast member. "I didn't have any pull on the set anymore," she said. "I was there at 7 a.m., but they wouldn't get to my scene until like 7 p.m. at night because they switched the order. They would never have done that in the old days. Things change."