Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999– )

This show introduces the Special Victims Unit, a new elite squad of NYPD detectives who investigate sexually related crimes.

Creator:

Dick Wolf

Stars:

Mariska Hargitay, Richard Belzer, Dann Florek

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 39 wins & 99 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Mariska Hargitay	...	Detective Olivia Benson (319 episodes, 1999-2013)
Richard Belzer	...	Detective John Munch (319 episodes, 1999-2013)
Dann Florek	...	Captain Donald Cragen (319 episodes, 1999-2013)
Ice-T	...	Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola (296 episodes, 2000-2013)
Christopher Meloni	...	Detective Elliot Stabler (272 episodes, 1999-2011)
BD Wong	...	Dr. George Huang (228 episodes, 2001-2013)
Tamara Tunie	...	Dr. Melinda Warner (212 episodes, 2000-2013)

Storyline

This show delves into the dark side of the New York underworld as the detectives of a new elite force, the Special Victims Unit, investigate and prosecute various sexually oriented crimes, while trying to balance the effects of the investigation on their own lives.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | victim | rape | new york city | rape victim | 

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Taglines:

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Five [UK] NBC [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Law & Order's Sex Crimes

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, Studios USA Television, NBC Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to an article in TV Guide magazine, cast members are often approached by sexual abuse survivors who thank them for portraying these types of stories on the air correctly.

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Quotes

[repeated line when suspects give a "great" excuse for what they've done]
ADA Casey Novak: Is that the best you can come up with?

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Crazy Credits

From the second episode of the second season (2000-2001), the opening credits break the pattern followed by the earlier episodes of SVU, the original Law & Order, and Criminal Intent. Instead of the credits ending with a shot of the cast walking towards the camera, they instead are shown sitting around a desk.

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Connections

Referenced in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009)

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Soundtracks

"I'm Not Driving Anymore"
(remix)
Written and Performed by Rob Dougan

User Reviews

Incredibly Solid Show

I hear on tv that apparently America's favorite Law and Order is the original. I personally think this is the best one out of all of them. It tackles some pretty intersting sides of society and humanity within an hour. I've been watching it for awhile and fell in love with the cast. They all have that hard edge that comes from doing a job like their's. Marishka is great and Ice-T is amusing. The storylines are very interesting and groundbreaking. In my classes, I've heard about the Down-Low phenomenon amongst black males in the U.S. This is the first show, aside from Oprah, that dealt with this issue. I was amazed and pleased that they'll take on any topic within their framework. Their guest cast should be praised as well. They have a great casting director. I don't know about their history with Emmy nominations, but they should definitely be in the running. The show has a very easy going nature despite the hardness of the cast that works well and acted beautifully. It gives a real look at society's imperfections and discriminatory ideologies. Nobody on the show is perfect and even the lawyers manipulate the law beyond the usual scope people think they do. Instead, they are manipulating it to see justice done and not avoided. I would urge anyone to watch this show. Give it a look.