Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

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.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-present) is an American network crime procedural series created by Dick Wolf for NBC. Mariska Hargitay plays Detective Olivia Benson, the steady core of an elite New York City squad that investigates sexually based felonies, with Ice-T as her partner Odafin Tutuola and Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler in the early years. Assistant district attorneys and courtroom scenes carry the cases past the squad room, as the detectives chase suspects through interrogations, evidence rooms and grim tenements. The series runs on a case-of-the-week format, with each hour built around a new victim, a new crime and a new question of what the justice system can actually deliver. Its narrative shifts across a long run of more than two dozen seasons, the detective roster changing around a continuing central figure. The tone is earnest and procedural, sober about abuse and cruelty yet driven by a stubborn hope in the darkness. Fans of Law & Order, Criminal Minds and Hill Street Blues will find the same blend of ensemble police work, institutional pressure and victim-focused drama that has made it the longest-running live-action primetime series in American television.

Audiences widely regard the long-running procedural as a dependable, compelling drama with strong performances from its lead cast, though its formula is familiar.

• Law & Orderprocedural crime structure, case-of-the-week investigations, New York police and prosecutor partnership, serious subject matter
• Criminal Mindsgritty sexual violence investigations, victim-centered procedural drama, dark crime tones
• Hill Street Blueslong-running police procedural with a steady ensemble and grounded urban crime tone

Created by

Dick Wolf

Release Date

1999-09-20

Episode runtime

44 min

Rating

8.1 / 10 (4381)

What is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit about?

A New York City detective unit confronts sexual offenses case by case, with its investigations spanning nearly three decades of television.

What is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as moderate.

What did critics think of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit?

Audiences widely regard the long-running procedural as a dependable, compelling drama with strong performances from its lead cast, though its formula is familiar.

Which shows are like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit?

Shows with a similar feel include Law & Order, Criminal Minds, and Hill Street Blues.

How long is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit?

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: 28 seasons, 598 episodes.

Is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit still running?

Yes, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is still running.

Where can I watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit?

In United States, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit streams on Hulu, NBC, Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, YouTube TV, fuboTV, USA Network.