Megan Russert
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Detective (formerly Lieutenant, Captain) Megan Russert is a fictional character on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' played by Isabella Hofmann. At the time of her introduction in the premiere episode of the third season, she is a lieutenant who takes charge of the homicide unit's second shift after the previous commander's retirement. Later in the season, a vacancy opens up in the
chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...
and she is promoted to captain on a trial basis, as a token of the city's commitment to diversity and equal opportunity. Although she and
Al Giardello Alphonse Michael 'Gee' Giardello Sr. is a fictional character from the television drama '' Homicide: Life on the Street''. The character was played by Yaphet Kotto. He is based on Baltimore Police Department Shift Lieutenant Gary D'Addario, a memb ...
get along reasonably well, he resents that she was promoted before him even though he had seniority over her. For her part she occasionally feels that he is diminishing or ignoring her authority. Her "softer" personality and ethical concerns about
Frank Pembleton Francis Xavier "Frank" Pembleton is a fictional homicide detective on the television drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' portrayed by Emmy Award winning actor Andre Braugher. He is a primary character of the show through the first si ...
's interrogation methods also put her at odds with others. Her connections to
national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...
officers, however, made her a valuable addition on certain cases. She is a widow, with one daughter named Caroline (played by Sasha Miceli), who was born in 1988. Her husband was a tax attorney named Mike, introduced to her by her sister Eileen at a holiday party for the CPA firm where Eileen worked. Russert for the most part did not date during her two seasons on the series, though she is introduced to the series already having an affair with
Beau Felton Det. Beauregard Donald 'Beau' Felton is a fictional character on the television drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' portrayed by Daniel Baldwin for seasons 1-3. He was loosely based on Det. Donald Kincaid, from David Simon's nonfiction b ...
(played by the soon-to-be father of actress Hoffman's only child,
Daniel Baldwin Daniel Leroy Baldwin (born October 5, 1960) is an American actor. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors. Baldwin played the role of Detective Beau Felton in the NBC TV series '' Homicide: Life on the Stree ...
) – the affair ends soon after their first case is solved, but she supports him as a friend after the breakdown of his marriage. She is a first cousin to the real life
Tim Russert Timothy John Russert (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's ''Meet the Press''. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Wa ...
, who appears in the third-season episode "The Old and the Dead." In a later episode titled "Stakeout" she mentions her famous cousin to a one-shot character named Cathy Buxton (played by Kate Walsh), but the character is unimpressed as she watches a news show that competes with Russert's. She graduated from the
United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
in 1983. During the 1980s, she worked in the Naval Intelligence Service and spent seven months and nine days at Guantanamo Bay,
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.''Homicide: Life on the Street'' episode "For God and Country", originally aired February 9, 1996. In season 4, Felton is suspended, ending their connection. In the first of two episodes concerning a sniper, she angers her boss, Colonel
George Barnfather ''Homicide: Life on the Street'' is an American police drama television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons (122 episodes) on NBC from January 31, 1993, ...
, due to problems at a press conference she held and the later suicide of the first sniper. Barnfather strips her of her probationary captain's rank and demotes her to detective, citing incompetence and insubordination. When the shootings begin again, she joins Giardello's shift and eventually gets the second sniper to confess. For the remainder of the season, she is partnered with
John Munch John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on the American crime drama television series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' on NBC. A regular through the entire run of the series from 1993 to 1999, Mu ...
. Russert's apparent disappointments lead her to start a new life in Europe with a French diplomat, and she is gone from Baltimore at the start of Season 5. She appears during that season's finale, having returned briefly to Baltimore to help the squad investigate Felton's death. However, Giardello removes both her and Sergeant
Kay Howard Katherine "Kay" Howard is a fictional character in the American TV series '' Homicide: Life on the Street''. She was played by actress Melissa Leo. In the first two seasons of the show her character was the only female detective or member of the m ...
(Felton's former partner) from the case because they are both too emotionally involved and gives them the job of planning his memorial service instead. This marks the end of Russert's role in the series, but she returns in '' Homicide: The Movie'', a post-series reunion released in 2000.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russert, Megan Homicide: Life on the Street characters Fictional Baltimore Police Department detectives Television characters introduced in 1994 Fictional police captains