`St. Sylvia” Costas’ days as a regular on ABC’s “NYPD Blue” apparently are numbered, although she won’t suffer a life-threatening illness or accident. So says the woman who plays the assistant district attorney (and who nominated Costas for sainthood) and wife of Detective Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz).
“They’ll never (kill her off), no,” says Sharon Lawrence, a multiple Emmys nominee for playing Costas.
But don’t cry for Lawrence. She starts a new series on NBC Thursday, even though it’s a sure bet her Costas character, who has appeared infrequently lately, will still pop up before “NYPD Blue” wraps for the season.
“Fired Up” is a limited-series comedy which premieres Thursday in the sweet spot, 8:30 p.m. between “Seinfeld” and “ER,” on WMAQ-Ch. 5.
Lawrence is prepared for her new role as Gwen Leonard, a savvy, but self-absorbed promotions executive who strikes out on her own with her former assistant (Leah Remini) after being the victim of a corporate downsizing (“I thought downsizing was a good thing, like going from a size 6 to a size 4,” Gwen moans in Thursday’s premiere.)
But Lawrence, 35, knew what time it was the day her “NYPD” character married Sipowicz.
“The D.A.’s position in the eyes of cops tend to be adversarial,” she explains. “And they didn’t want to risk Sylvia’s sainthood and her appeal with Andy, by making her perhaps problematic in . . . the position she would have to take that obviously would be in opposition to what the cops need.
“They found her more valuable in Andy’s life than they ever did as a D.A.”
Lawrence knew she wouldn’t be satisfied with Sylvia’s new role of merely a support system to her volatile husband. “Sylvia was coming and going so much,” she says, “and the bulk of the work that I ever did on the show was as Andy’s girlfriend, or estranged girlfriend, then wife, then pregnant wife. It was far less a percentage of me as a working woman.”
She had hoped the writers would examine Costas’ new role as a working mother, but “it’s not what the show is about.” So Lawrence approached “NYPD” executive producer Steven Bochco and said, “You know, I can sort of sense what’s going on. I think we all know that there probably isn’t potential for Sylvia to have her own story lines.
“(Bochco was) so gracious in acknowledging the truth of what I said,” Lawrence says now, “and in knowing that I do have a lot of opportunity out there, and in not standing in my way of it.”
Lawrence had lots of opportunities especially in the wake of a riotous comedic turn she did on NBC’s “Caroline in the City” last season. She was nominated for a guest-starring Emmy for playing a corporate headhunter who was approached by the long-suffering Richard Karinsky (Malcolm Gets).
After playing that part, Lawrence was sent a huge basket of flowers from NBC Entertainment chief Warren Littlefield with a note: “You know what? It was great having you on `Must-See TV,’ wouldn’t it be great to make it a habit?’ “
It now isn’t a problem for Lawrence to look for other work, because she says her commitment to “NYPD Blue” is over. She will be available for guest starring appearances, but only if it’s meaningful to her character.
“As far as I’m concerned, I will only do what appeals to me, what I’m attracted to story line-wise, what I find is worth my time,” she says. “Because not only am I doing `Fired Up,’ but I’m working on other projects.”
So what exactly will happen with Sylvia? “She’ll just come and go as they see fit,” Lawrence says. “And I will come and go when they write something for me . . . and who knows? This could continue indefinitely.”
It may seem odd to place Lawrence, whose character’s relationship with Sipowicz has most times been somber and stormy, in such a broad, comical romp as “Fired Up,” which is co-executive produced by “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer.
But Lawrence’s show business career is rooted in musical theater. The native of Charlotte, N.C. (she attended the University of North Carolina when Michael Jordan and James Worthy played there), has sung and danced on Broadway several times, and performed in productions of “Zorba the Greek” with Anthony Quinn, “Cabaret” with Joel Grey, and “Fiddler on the Roof” with Topol.
Obviously it’s never a sure thing going from a proven hit like “NYPD Blue,” to the uncharted territory of a “Fired Up,” even if the show does have a leg up thanks to great positioning on the schedule.
“It’s a risk,” Lawrence admits, “but at the same time, doing `Caroline’ was so much fun for me. And it really gave me a chance to work like I used to, when I was doing musical theater. Meaning, in a very physical way, and a rhythmic
way, which I don’t get to do on
`NYPD.’ “
On that show, “I’m sort of working from the neck up. Or,” she adds with a laugh, “depending on which episode it is, from the waist down.”
