Summary"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."
Created By:Dick Wolf
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
28 Seasons
Season 1 Premiere:
Sep 20, 1999
Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.2
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
52% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
48% Mixed
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Feb 22, 2013
100
Sparse, tough, nuts-and-bolts, hit-and-run TV. You'd need a magnifying glass to find a nuance. But it works, and grippingly.
Feb 22, 2013
80
Despite a bizarre courtroom sequence that strains credibility early in the episode, this is a very good start for Special Victims Unit, which promises to be a solid cop drama capable of occasionally stretching toward greatness.
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.2
85% Positive
227 Ratings
227 Ratings
4% Mixed
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
11% Negative
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
Jul 19, 2023
10
Really great show!
can we all agree that Cardigan by Taylor Swift is the most accurately written and relatable song about being cheated on? it's like a bunch of stories compiled together to make a new one. from 'a friend to all is a friend to none', it's like a reminder that your partner's friend isn't your friend. sometimes they are the ones who tolerate the betrayal. or sometimes it's actually from a friend of yours where the betrayal starts. and 'chase two girls, lose the one', a consequence of cheating that you're not just losing one of them, but actually the one. to 'playing hide-and-seek and giving me your weekends', the feeling of longing for something because he was always physically unavailable, and meeting someone behind the mall. and 'you drew stars around my scars, but now i'm bleeding," they somehow assured you, gave light to your dark past. however, they still did the things you told them that once hurt you. until, "i knew you, tried to change the ending: peter losing wendy" when they were trying to turn the table and change the narration of the story. when they were trying to make that it was wendy who was losing peter. when they were trying to look innocent through lies. and of course, "i knew you, leaving like a father, running like water" when they ran from their responsibility and didn't even have the face to hold themselves accountable for what they had done. and people would think that it's fine; it was just puppy love. we are all deprived of expressing ourselves, from sensual politics to feeling like a cardigan under someone's bed, because when you are young, they always assume that you know nothing.
Feb 22, 2013
75
The key here is that the emotional payoffs are dead-on. [20 Sept 1999, p.38]
Feb 22, 2013
63
If the crimes that drive "Law & Order" have the cops who solve them and the lawyers who prosecute them shaking their heads, the sex crimes dealt with by Special Victims will have the cops - and viewers - holding onto their stomachs.
Jun 14, 2013
42
[The show] still portrays Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay as the most naive, bleeding-heart molester busters in America.
Feb 22, 2013
40
The problem is that the new show makes the original look far better...There isn't enough special yet about this Special Victims Unit. [19 Sept 1999, p.F1]
Jan 19, 2021
10
i love it, it is the best show i've watched that is crime... i love ice-t, he´s my favorite actor on the show ....
Jun 7, 2021
6
Eh. It's okay, not the best series in the world, but if you have nothing better to do... I will say some of the episodes can be pretty interesting to watch, and the whole appeal of the show is finding out "who did it". It's not all bad, give it a watch, but don't indulge yourself in every episode ever, there are A LOT of them first of all, but secondly only do it if you're feeling up to it.
Dec 16, 2020
2
Stop with the racial episodes! This show is an inspiration to women who have experienced sexual assault. Please don’t turn it to race.
Jan 18, 2025
1
Law & Order: SVU frustrating because many of its storylines feel unrealistic and misleading. The show often takes situations that are consensual and twists them to look like ****. For example, it pushes the idea that "if you can't remember, it's ****," which isn’t always true.This kind of storytelling puts dangerous ideas in people’s heads and could unfairly ruin men’s lives over misunderstandings. Instead of showing the real complexities of these situations, it focuses on shock value and drama, which does more harm than good.I think the show needs to be more responsible with its stories. I get so angry watching this and watching them ruin mens lives that did nothing wrong! It shouldn’t be on the air at all!!!
Production Company:
- Wolf Films
- Studios USA Television
- Universal Network Television
- NBC Universal Television
- Universal Media Studios (UMS)
- Universal Television
Initial Release Date:Sep 20, 1999
Number of seasons:28 Seasons
Rating:TV-14
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Prism Awards
• 7 Wins & 25 Nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards
• 6 Wins & 25 Nominations




























