A.D.A Sylvia Costas

Sylvia Costas is a sharp, principled Assistant District Attorney working the same grim beat as the detectives of the 15th precinct. She's poised and exacting in the courtroom, unimpressed by bluster, and drawn despite herself into a relationship with Andy Sipowicz that neither her colleagues nor her own better judgment would necessarily recommend.

Sharon Lawrence gives Sylvia a steady, unsentimental intelligence that keeps the show honest whenever it risks softening into melodrama. She's never just 'the girlfriend' — the writing lets her argue cases, hold professional ground against cops who outrank her in swagger, and choose Sipowicz with her eyes open, which makes their scenes together feel like something adult and specific rather than a plot function.