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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (also known as Law & Order: SVU, or SVU) is an American drama television program about the Special Victims Unit in the fictitious 16th Precinct of New York City.
The show originally aired on Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET for the first nine episodes, from September 20 through November 29, 1999. It was then shifted to Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET on January 7, 2000, and remained in that time slot through the end of season four on May 16, 2003. SVU was placed in its current time slot for the season 5 opener on September 23, 2003 on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET and occasionally runs previous shows on Saturday nights at 10pm ET. SVU is currently the highest rated series of the Law & Order franchise, and is one of NBC's top rated shows. The Law & Order franchise also includes two other series dramas: the original Law & Order, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Series overviewThe following statement is spoken at the beginning of every episode, except the first episode of the third season (in which this statement is replaced by a statement relevant to the September 11, 2001 attacks):
Sex Crimes InvestigationsUnlike the original Law & Order, SVU follows a distinct division of the New York City Police Department: the Special Victims Unit (aka the Sex Crimes division, as explained in the first episode). As its name implies, the detectives in this division investigate crimes involving sexual assault, the very young, or the very elderly, as well as any crime loosely connected with any of the three. Their unit is based out of the fictitious 16th Precinct (sometimes called Manhattan SVU). OriginsThe series was originally proposed under the title Sex Crimes, and unrelated to the Law & Order brand. NBC thought the title was too harsh, and after discussions between network executives and Dick Wolf (creator of Law & Order) it became part of the L&O brand, debuting as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Character dramaIn addition, the show is more character-driven than the typical police procedural, with a less-than-complete focus on the main case. For example, detectives Stabler and Benson each signed up to work for the Special Victims Unit for different reasons: Stabler felt a moral responsibility to protect all people from the criminals that they had to deal with, especially because he had four children of his own, and later dealing with issues involving an abusive father and anger issues that drove away his wife and children. Benson was the child of a pregnancy resulting from the rape of her mother. In the 2005 and 2006 seasons, the spotlight seemed to drift from the cases to the relationship between the two main characters. This breaks form with the rest of the other Dick Wolf franchises. Benson and Stabler were seen struggling with their partnership. The emotional attachment between them became almost volatile at the end of the 2005 season, when Benson asked for a new partner. When Hargitay returned from maternity leave at the end of 2006, the partnership seemed to be on shaky ground. Concerning the Benson and Stabler relationship, Hargitay stated in an interview[2],"It's very complicated. Sometimes it's very much like brother and sister, and I think the reason that they're so close is that they share a passion for their jobs and for the people. They have a mutual respect for one another. I think that the average lifespan of an SVU detective is four years because of the difficulty and stress involved. They've been doing it for longer than that, so they feel like they're in their own world almost. There's also sexual chemistry between them, it's so loaded and layered. People ask me if they'll ever get together - and people want that, and sometimes I think even Olivia wants that - but I don't think that will ever happen." Controversial subject matterSVU contains by far the most controversial subject matter of any of the L&O series[citation needed], focusing mostly on rape and child abuse, as well as episodes based on real incidents and current hot topic issues, such as physician-assisted suicide, abortion, and gun control. The Real NYPD "Special Victims Unit"The NYPD does have a real unit that investigates sex crimes; which is housed in various Patrol Boroughs like in Manhattan (similar to how L&O: SVU is depicted in the show). In addition to the different name, the real Special Victims Unit only investigates the following types of cases:
The Special Victims Unit does not investigate any murder, robbery or child pornography cases. Murders and robberies are investigated by precinct detective squads. If a sex crime is involved, the Special Victims Unit may assist in the investigation. Child pornography is investigated by the NYPD Vice Enforcement Sexual Exploitation of Children Unit. Episodes
AwardsWon
Nominated
Principal cast
Supporting charactersImage:Casts4.jpg The cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2002-2003); from left, Ice T, Richard Belzer, Mariska Hargitay, Dann Florek, Christopher Meloni, B.D. Wong, and Stephanie March. Two of the regular characters have appeared in two other NBC series: Captain Donald Cragen (played by Dann Florek), who was on the first three seasons of Law & Order and Detective John Munch (played by Richard Belzer), formerly a Baltimore detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. This character also made appearances on Law & Order, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Arrested Development, The Beat and The X-Files. Supporting cast during season one included Dean Winters as Munch's partner, Detective Brian Cassidy, and Michelle Hurd as Detective Monique Jeffries. Cassidy was an immigrant detective, just assigned to the unit, who transferred to narcotics because he was having trouble dealing with some of the disturbing cases the division dealt with regularly. Jeffries was originally a minor character, but when Dean Winters left the show midseason, she played a more prominent role as Munch's partner. Hurd played the role for a few episodes during the second season, after which she left the show. Seasons 9 & 10Recently, Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni signed contracts to pick up a ninth and a tenth season, making the show a definite until 2009. Recently, it was revealed that all the current cast members will return as well. Adam Beach will also join the cast [1]. Casting changesSpoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The show, like its parent show, has had several cast changes, although the original four credited cast members (Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Richard Belzer, and Dann Florek) have remained with the show through the first eight seasons. Odafin TutuolaImage:Ice-t.jpg Ice T as Detective Odafin Tutuola. After Hurd left the series, her Monique Jeffries character was replaced with Detective Odafin Tutuola (played by rapper-turned-actor, Ice-T); he has been on the show since season two. While technically Munch's partner, Fin has become much more prominent on the show than Munch; while Munch usually remains at the station, with sometimes only a few lines in some episodes, Fin is much more active in aiding the main characters' investigations, and is often sent on undercover assignments as well. Alexandra CabotAlso in season two the show added Stephanie March, as Alexandra Cabot, as a permanent supporting ADA to the show. In season five, Alexandra was shot and presumed dead, but actually was placed in the Witness Protection Program for her safety. Casey Novak, portrayed by Diane Neal, replaced Cabot. However, Cabot came out of Witness Protection and returned to testify against the man who gunned her down. In early 2006, Stephanie March reprised the character of Alexandra Cabot in the now-defunct series Conviction. Dr. George HuangB.D. Wong began appearing as George Huang, a forensic psychiatrist on loan from the FBI, in the penultimate episode of season two. He was a frequently recurring character during season three before being elevated to contract status starting with season four. Melinda WarnerTamara Tunie, as Melinda Warner, is the division's current Medical Examiner on the show. Having played the role in virtually every episode of seasons four, five, and six; Tunie was added to the opening credits for the show's seventh season. Casey NovakAs of 2003, another cast change came after the fourth episode of season five ("Loss"), when Stephanie March was replaced with Diane Neal as Casey Novak. Her first episode was Season 5, Episode 5 (Serendipity). In season 6, she was attacked by the brother of a rape victim in her office. Neal also previously played Amelia Chase, a murder suspect, on the 10th episode of season 3 ("Ridicule"). Dani BeckIn 2006, Connie Nielsen was cast as Detective Dani Beck, a multi-lingual warrants detective who comes from a specialized unit, to fill in for Hargitay while she was on maternity leave. Beck's husband, a police officer, was murdered in 2002, and she and partner Elliot Stabler flirted with the possibility of a romantic involvement. In the November 21 episode, she admitted to him she felt she was unable to deal with the nature of the crimes handled by SVU, but implied she'd be willing to stay if Stabler asked her. When he told her she needed to remain for herself, not him, she told him goodbye and exited the series. Chester LakeIt has been announced that Adam Beach will be joining SVU full-time next season with the role of Chester Lake, a character that first appeared in a guest-starring role as a Brooklyn SVU detective. Originally in the January 16th episode, he helped Fin and his son stop a serial rapist.[3]. Other guest starsIn season one, Reiko Aylesworth (best known as Michelle Dessler from the FOX television series 24) played ADA Erica Alden in episodes "Slaves," "Remorse," and "Contact." In seasons one to three, Lance Reddick (best known for his roles on two HBO television series, Desmond Mobay/Detective Johnny Basil on Oz and Cedric Daniels on The Wire) had a recurring role as the Medical Examiner. From season three on, Judith Light has had multiple appearances as Bureau Chief, turned judge, Elizabeth Donnelly. One other character that was important was Detective Ken Briscoe (nephew of Lennie Briscoe), played by Chris Orbach (son of Jerry Orbach). He appeared in early episodes of the show, along with his father. Mary Stuart Masterson appeared in three episodes of season six ("Weak", "Contagious", and "Identity") and one episode of season seven ("Ripped") as Dr. Rebecca Hendrix, who attended the police academy with Olivia Benson and was on the NYPD force for two years. Elliot Stabler turned to Hendrix for comfort in season seven after a confrontation in a courthouse restroom with his former partner, Pete Breslin. Joel de la Fuente has had numerous recurring roles as Rueben Morales, a computer expert who helps the detectives with online evidence. In the Season 7 episode "Web," he played a major part in the investigation of a young man who was running a web site featuring himself and other underage boys. During the investigation, Morales told Stabler that he had given his nephew a computer as a gift. The nephew had met and been molested by an online predator via the computer and Morales joined SVU to ease his guilt and try to save other children from that fate. As was the case with Tunie's and Wong's characters, his role has expanded early in season eight. Caren Browning has had numerous appearances since the middle of season four as Capt. Judith Siper, and Mike Doyle has appeared on numerous occasions as Ryan O'Halloran over the same period. Siper and O'Halloran often lead the canvass for evidence at crime scenes, and often are able to provide key clues when analyzing that evidence in the crime lab. Welly Yang has appeared numerous times as an unnamed (although sometimes identified as "Georgie" in the credits) CSU technician. Paula Garcés also played a recurring CSU technician, named Millie Vizcarrondo. In the Season 7 episode "Name," involving the disappearances of several Puerto Rican boys, she teamed up with Detective Stabler and played a significant part in the investigation. Julie White has a recurring role as Dr. Anne Morella, and has made three appearances: in the season five episodes "Shaken" and "Head," and the season seven episode "Starved." In addition, the show has had many guest stars, including cast from Law & Order, including Jesse L. Martin as Detective Ed Green, Angie Harmon as Abbie Carmichael, Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy, Steven Hill as Adam Schiff, Dianne Wiest as Nora Lewin, and Fred Dalton Thompson as Arthur Branch. In addition to that, a number of other doctors appeared on the show from time to time, including Leslie Hendrix as her Law & Order character, Elizabeth Rodgers, Carolyn McCormick as her Law & Order character, Elizabeth Olivet, and J.K. Simmons as his Law & Order character, Emil Skoda. Prominent actors appearing as defense lawyers include Peter Hermann (Mariska Hargitay's husband) as Trevor Langan, Annie Potts as Sophie Devere, John Cullum as Barry Moredock (Alexandra Cabot's former law school professor), David Thornton as Lionel Granger, Ned Eisenberg as Roger Kressler (Eisenberg previously appeared as two other attorneys before assuming the role of Kressler), CCH Pounder as Carolyn Maddox, and Illeana Douglas as Gina Bernardo. Other high-profile guests have included Jane Alexander, Karen Allen, Anthony Anderson, Elizabeth Banks, Jonathan Bennett, Craig Bierko, Jacqueline Bisset, Lewis Black, Richard Bright, Dean Cain, Billy Campbell, Bobby Cannavale, Lynda Carter, Gary Cole, Natalie Cole, Holliston Coleman, Bradley Cooper, Bruce Davison, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Delaney, Rebecca De Mornay, Jeffrey DeMunn, Emily Deschanel (before rocketing to stardom on the FOX series Bones), Doug E. Doug, Illeana Douglas, Sherilyn Fenn, Bobby Flay (Stephanie March's husband), Joe Morton, Patrick Flueger, Jim Gaffigan, Kelli Garner, Ben Gazzara, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Pam Grier, Michael Gross, Tom Guiry, Darrell Hammond, Mickey Hargitay (Mariska Hargitay's late father), Gale Harold, Bret Harrison, John Heard, Peter Hermann (Mariska Hargitay's husband), Judd Hirsch, Doug Hutchison, Amy Irving, David Keith, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Jamie Kennedy, Margot Kidder, Shirley Knight (who also guested stared on Law & Order), Jane Krakowski, Stephen Lang, Frank Langella, Angela Lansbury, Michael Lerner, Piper Laurie, Sharon Lawrence, Chad Lowe, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Andrew McCarthy, Kyle MacLachlan, Kellie Martin, Samantha Mathis, Marlee Matlin, Mark McGrath, Matthew Modine, Rita Moreno, Alfred Molina, Kate Mulgrew, Ming-Na, James Naughton, Brian F. O'Byrne, Michael O'Keefe, Leland Orser, Hayden Panettiere (who appeared twice, several years apart, in two different roles), Connor Paolo (who also appeared twice, four years apart, in two different roles), Martha Plimpton, Lou Diamond Philips, Michael Pitt, Patricia Richardson, Shawn Reaves, Norman Reedus, Peter Riegert, John Ritter as well as his son Jason Ritter, Eric Roberts, Anthony Rapp, Gloria Reuben, Julian Sands, Fred Savage, John Savage, Jane Seymour, Martin Short, Susan Saint James, Tom Skerritt, Brittany Snow, Ian Somerhalder, Shannyn Sossamon, Mary Steenburgen, Eric Stoltz, Nicole Sullivan, Richard Thomas, Raviv Ullman, Blair Underwood, Lea Thompson, Tom Verica, Estella Warren, Kathleen Wilhoite, Serena Williams, Henry Winkler, and Mare Winningham. Marcia Gay Harden has appeared twice (Season 7, "Raw" and Season 8, "Informed") as Agent Dana Lewis, who uses her undercover alias, Star Morrison, to infiltrate a group of white supremacists and an ecoterrorism ring. Rapper/actor Ludacris appeared as the nephew of Odafin Tutuola on one episode. He has recently confirmed that he will be on more episodes of the show.[citation needed] Rob Estes, whose detective show Silk Stalkings also pushed the envelope of adult subject matter, played a villain in one SVU episode. Estes' Chris Lorenzo and Mitzi Kapture's Rita Lee Lance can be considered the forerunners of Benson and Stabler, as Lance and Lorenzo often investigated sexual-based murders on Silk Stalkings. The seventh-season opener featured Robert Patrick and Robert Walden. The season seven finale featured Brittany Snow. Eighth-season guest stars include Jerry Lewis (as Munch's homeless uncle), Robert Vaughn, Charles Shaughnessy, Leslie Caron, Ken Howard, Elle Fanning, Chris Sarandon, Bob Saget, Catherine Bell, Bernadette Peters, Brian Dennehy, Blair Underwood, Michael Michele, Kal Penn, Bill Goldberg, Ray Wise, Cary Elwes, Kim Delaney and Tim Daly. Spoilers end here.
Plot inspirationsLike its predecessor, many Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes are clear references to high-profile real-life cases, and are based on thinly-veiled dramatizations of these actual events, though the particulars and outcome may end up to be quite different.
Trivia
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