"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999) TV series 1999-????

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Creator:

Dick Wolf

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Release Date:

20 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

Where Risks are Taken

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Victim | Rape | Criminal | New York City

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 33 wins & 73 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 5	8:00 PM	MyNetwork	Entitled	#1.15
Sun. July 5	9:00 PM	MyNetwork	The Third Guy	#1.16

Cast

Christopher Meloni	...	Detective Elliot Stabler (224 episodes, 1999-2009)
Mariska Hargitay	...	Detective Olivia Benson (224 episodes, 1999-2009)
Richard Belzer	...	Detective John Munch / ... (224 episodes, 1999-2009)
Dann Florek	...	Captain Donald Cragen (224 episodes, 1999-2009)
Ice-T	...	Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola / ... (202 episodes, 2000-2009)
B.D. Wong	...	Dr. George Huang (178 episodes, 2001-2009)
Tamara Tunie	...	Dr. Melinda Warner (150 episodes, 2000-2009)
Diane Neal	...	A.D.A. Casey Novak / ... (108 episodes, 2001-2008)

Also Known As:

"Law & Order's Sex Crimes" (USA) (working title)
"Law & Order: SVU" (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
"Special Victims Unit" (New Zealand: English title)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | Singapore:NC-16 (season 2) | USA:TV-14 | Hungary:18 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 (re-rating) | South Korea:18 (original rating) | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (some episodes) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Wolf Films

Trivia:

After the World Trade Center attack in September 2001, NBC ordered the opening credits for the 2001-2002 season reedited to remove images of the ill-fated building.

Quotes:

John Munch: Actually the 1st Amendment gives him the right to ask, the 5th Amendment gives you the right not to answer.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Nip/Tuck: Candy Richards (#5.14)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

I'm Not Driving Anymore

an excellent show, absolutely stunning

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is one of the best and most underrated shows on TV. It stars Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, a tough-as-nails detective who makes his hatred of pedophiles and child molesters well known many times throughout the show. He has another side, a vicious side, that Criminal Intent's Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) lacks. I'm very pleased that he's been nominated for an Emmy. Mariska Hargitay won an Emmy for her performance as Olivia Benson, another fantastic detective. Benson has more edge than CI's Alex Eames (Kathrine Erbe), but is revered for her ability to communicate to troubled witnesses and gouge confessions out of suspects. Her life is put in danger at least twice a season, yet she continues to be strong. Next is the sarcastic detective Jon Munch, played by the excellent comedian Richard Belzer. Munch may seem annoying at times, but his ability to relate to witnesses is excellent, and he plays the "good cop, bad cop" role very well. The final detective is Finn Tutuola, played by former rapper Ice-T. Ice-T plays the character reasonably well, but I think we'd all like to see a meaner side of him. He was very good in the episodes entitled "Rage," and "Rooftop". They are led by Don Cragen, played by Dann Florek, and Cragen is as good a captain as any, as Florek reprises his role he held on "Law & Order" for a few years. Adam Beach recently joined the show, bringing something new to the table in youth and his almost 'surfer dude' approach to detective work. The ADA now is Casey Novak, played by Diane Neal, who could be better, but she gets the job done. She's been better of late, and the contrast between her and her predecessor is really helpful to the show. Her predecessor, Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) was great also. The team is also aided by an FBI psychiatrist, George Huang (BD Wong), who aids them in finding out the true horrors of a person, witness or suspect. His best performance was in the episode called "Coerced." The members of this unit investigate sexually based crimes (rape, rape-homicide) and child based crimes (school shootings, child abuse, child molestation). The show has had extraordinary guest stars, from evil (Johnny Messner, Reg Flowers, Asio Highsmith, Jeff Kober) to touching (Leland Orser, Jerry Lewis) to lost (Brittany Snow) to famous and legendary actors (Jerry Lewis, Dean Cain, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Henry Winkler, Robin Williams, Matthew Modine, Alfred Molina, Cynthia Nixon, John Ritter). This is a truly great show that not only shows the line of work in this graphic department, but shows the emotional stress a detective goes through. 10/10