Julianna Cox
Encyclopedia
Julianna Cox is a fictional
chief medical examiner
in the TV show Homicide: Life on the Street
for seasons 5-6, played by actress Michelle Forbes
.
Cox was introduced in the season five episode "M.E., Myself, and I," where she is arriving back home in Baltimore
to take a position as the chief medical examiner at the morgue. Her father, who had suffered severe injuries in a car accident, is in frail health and barely hanging on. He passes away within days of her arriving, devastating her; while its first implied that he has died of natural causes, she later reveals that he died in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. She compensates for her sadness by speeding and drinking a lot.
As the chief M.E., Cox distinguished herself by being much more friendly and personable with the homicide unit than her predecessor, Dr. Scheiner, had been. The detectives were all impressed that she would actually make trips to see them once in a while, both on and off duty, and she was very good at her job. She did not tolerate sloppy work or incompetence, and she fired two of her staff members - one who deliberately mis-classified a prostitute's murder as a drug overdose, and a second who stole jewelry from several homicide victims. She was also a regular at the Waterfront Bar.
Cox was immediately attracted to Det. Mike Kellerman
during a time when he was under investigation for corruption and sidelined from active duty. Both in need of comfort, they had a one-night stand that turned into a very open, laid-back sort of pseudo-relationship which mostly consisted of them getting drunk and having sex. The relationship eventually went downhill fast, however, and they distanced themselves. Cox briefly had a relationship with Det. Tim Bayliss
, although she later admitted that it was mostly wanting someone over the holidays, and she angrily ended any relationship when he returned a pair of earrings to her in front of everyone at a crime scene.
Towards the end of the 6th season, a truck driver working for the city ran a passenger car off the road, killing both the car driver and himself and leaving the car driver's wife a quadriplegic. Facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit, the city pressured Cox to alter the evidence and report that the car driver was legally intoxicated; her tests had shown that the man had alcohol in his system but was not over the legal limit. Cox refused to lie and was fired, but she later learned that the city had settled with the wife for $45 million. She said goodbye to Kellerman and lamented that they had never put together a real relationship, implying she would have stayed around if they had.
After losing her job, she left Baltimore. She returned in Homicide: The Movie
to help the detectives catch a man who tried to assassinate Al Giardello
, who had been their shift commander during the series.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
chief medical examiner
Medical examiner
A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
in the TV show Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
for seasons 5-6, played by actress Michelle Forbes
Michelle Forbes
Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo , known professionally as Michelle Forbes, is an American actress who has built a career of work in television and independent film and has acted in productions in both the United States and in the United Kingdom...
.
Cox was introduced in the season five episode "M.E., Myself, and I," where she is arriving back home in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
to take a position as the chief medical examiner at the morgue. Her father, who had suffered severe injuries in a car accident, is in frail health and barely hanging on. He passes away within days of her arriving, devastating her; while its first implied that he has died of natural causes, she later reveals that he died in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. She compensates for her sadness by speeding and drinking a lot.
As the chief M.E., Cox distinguished herself by being much more friendly and personable with the homicide unit than her predecessor, Dr. Scheiner, had been. The detectives were all impressed that she would actually make trips to see them once in a while, both on and off duty, and she was very good at her job. She did not tolerate sloppy work or incompetence, and she fired two of her staff members - one who deliberately mis-classified a prostitute's murder as a drug overdose, and a second who stole jewelry from several homicide victims. She was also a regular at the Waterfront Bar.
Cox was immediately attracted to Det. Mike Kellerman
Mike Kellerman
Detective Michael Scott Kellerman is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Reed Diamond. He is a main character from seasons 4-6, 1995-1998.-Biography:...
during a time when he was under investigation for corruption and sidelined from active duty. Both in need of comfort, they had a one-night stand that turned into a very open, laid-back sort of pseudo-relationship which mostly consisted of them getting drunk and having sex. The relationship eventually went downhill fast, however, and they distanced themselves. Cox briefly had a relationship with Det. Tim Bayliss
Tim Bayliss
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was a primary character, and was played by Kyle Secor. He was loosely based on the real-life Det...
, although she later admitted that it was mostly wanting someone over the holidays, and she angrily ended any relationship when he returned a pair of earrings to her in front of everyone at a crime scene.
Towards the end of the 6th season, a truck driver working for the city ran a passenger car off the road, killing both the car driver and himself and leaving the car driver's wife a quadriplegic. Facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit, the city pressured Cox to alter the evidence and report that the car driver was legally intoxicated; her tests had shown that the man had alcohol in his system but was not over the legal limit. Cox refused to lie and was fired, but she later learned that the city had settled with the wife for $45 million. She said goodbye to Kellerman and lamented that they had never put together a real relationship, implying she would have stayed around if they had.
After losing her job, she left Baltimore. She returned in Homicide: The Movie
Homicide: The Movie
Homicide: The Movie is a television movie that aired 13 February 2000, one year after the completion of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street...
to help the detectives catch a man who tried to assassinate Al Giardello
Al Giardello
Alphonse Michael Giardello, Sr. is a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. The character was played by Yaphet Kotto...
, who had been their shift commander during the series.