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| Overview of the Law and Order Special Victims Unit TV ShowLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit (often abbreviated to Law & Order: SVU) is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit television show was created and produced by Dick Wolf and airing on the NBC television network. The Law and Order SVU TV series premiered on September 20, 1999 as the first spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama, Law & Order.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit originally centered around the detectives of the Special Victims Unit in a fictional version of the 16th Precinct of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). In the style of the original Law & Order, episodes are often "ripped from the headlines" or loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention. The show stars Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler, a senior detective in the Manhattan SVU, and Mariska Hargitay as his partner, Detective Olivia Benson, a rookie to the unit and the child of a rape. As the series progressed, additional supporting characters were added as allies of the detectives in the Manhattan District Attorney's office and the Medical Examiner's office. Typical episodes follow the detectives and their colleagues as they investigate and prosecute sexually based offenses.
 Originally called Sex Crimes, executive producer Dick Wolf wisely opted for something less lurid when the second in the inexhaustible Law & Order franchise hit the air in 1999. Still, as the opening voiceover makes clear, the "sexually based offenses" investigated by New York's Special Victims Unit can be "especially heinous." This six-DVD boxed set includes all 22 episodes of the first compelling season.
Wolf penned series premier "Payback," which sets the scene, but not the tone. It's a lively, if uneasy mix between horror (rape) and comedy (risqué banter). As the show progressed, humor would be written out altogether (leaving Richard Belzer's Homicide-derived John Munch with increasingly less to do). Less emphasis would also be placed on the home lives of this "elite squad of dedicated detectives." Mostly, "Payback" introduces us to the unit, centering around partners Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). For two people with so little in common, they make a terrific team--arguably one of TV's best. Stabler is married with four children; Benton is single and her closest relationship is with her mother (Elizabeth Ashley). While Stabler can get a little rough with suspects, Benton tends to over-empathize with the victims. They report to the no-nonsense Captain Cragen (Law & Order vet Dann Florek). Like the parent program's Lenny Briscoe, he's a recovering alcoholic. Dean Winters and Michelle Hurd round out the rock-solid cast.
As it would continue to do in successive years, SVU's first season proved that network TV could explore sex crimes without being salacious or exploitative. "Uncivilized," for instance, concerns a child murder that is automatically pinned on a local sex offender, when the actual perpetrator isn't quite so obvious. "Disrobed," in which Brian Cassidy (Winters) leaves the department and Benson (with whom he had a brief affair) shoots a suspect is another standout in a strong year. SVU was followed by Criminal Intent in 2001 and features several guest appearances from Jerry Orbach (Briscoe) and Angie Harmon (Abbie Carmichael) from the original Law & Order. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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 Rejoin the detectives of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit in all 21 gripping episodes from the powerful second season, available for the first time on DVD! Mariska Hargitay returns as the unit's veteran Detective Olivia Benson: the role that earned her a Best Actress Golden Globe. Joining her are Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler, Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch, captivating newcomers Ice-T and B.D. Wong, and television's hottest guest stars, such as Eric Roberts, Margot Kidder, and Chad Lowe. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - The Second Year is packed with a roster of cases ripped from today's headlines and includes fascinating bonus features such as cast interactions with real detectives, character profiles and never-before-seen deleted scenes. Law and Order: SVU, the recipient of seven Emmy Award nominations in just four years, is the captivating phenomenon that critics call "indestructible."
 Amazon.com - One of the few spin-offs that actually equals the original in terms of quality, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has another stellar season in its third year. Detectives Olivia Benson (Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) continue to investigate sexually-based crimes with compassion and vigor. There are a slew of guest stars playing roles we're not accustomed to. Former Saved By the Bell child actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar makes a heartbreaking appearance as a newlywed who gets involved in the gay porn industry to support his baby and indifferent wife. John Ritter guest-stars as a doctor who may have been involved in his pregnant wife's death. And Diane Neal--who joins the cast in the show's fifth season as attorney Casey Novak--plays a cocky businesswoman whose friend is found dead after a wild girls' night out. With a supporting cast that includes detectives Tutuola (Ice-T) and Munch (Richard Belzer), as well as Captain Cragen (Dann Florek), and psychiatrist George Huang (B.D. Wong), SVU tackles cases so heinous that viewers are never certain whether the detectives will be able to make it to the next case. Good storytelling aside, the biggest draw to the show are the characters of Benson and Stabler, whose chemistry is based on fierce loyalty and trust. That they haven't slept with each other is a testament to the skilled writing on the series. The show is so good that a romance between the two doesn't have to be forced on the viewers to keep us interested. From the first episode (involving a therapist who may have encouraged her patient to commit a crime) to the last (where the detectives uncover a sex scandal in the Catholic church), the stories stick with the viewer long after the episodes have been watched. The third season ran from 2001 to 2002 on NBC, but time hasn't tempered the impact of this powerful series. --Jae-Ha Kim
 Burst onto the scene of the crime with all 25 engaging episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - The Fourth Year! Recipient of 15 Primetime Emmy® nominations, including a win for outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Mariska Hargitay) and a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Christopher Meloni), this powerful and intelligent detective series captivates fans like nothing else on TV. Join an elite squad of NYPD detectives who investigate sexually based crimes ripped from today's headlines. Along for the stakeout are such compelling guest stars as Barbara Barrie (in her Primetime Emmy®-nominated role), Judith Light, Pam Grier, Sherilyn Fenn and more! It's a must-have for every fan of the Law & Order series!
 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the hard-hitting and emotionally charged second series from the critically acclaimed Law & Order franchise, chronicles the compelling cases of the elite Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department. Created by Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, this award-winning series follows the investigations of Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), a seasoned, seen-it-all veteran of the unit, and his tough but compassionate partner, Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), as they try to solve the city’s most heinous crimes. Directing their intense efforts is Capt. Donald Cragen (Dann Florek, reprising his Law & Order role), whose tough but supportive approach guides the entire squad - which includes Detectives John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Odafin Tutuola (Ice-T), forensic psychiatrist George Huang (B.D. Wong) and ADA Casey Novak (Diane Neal) - through the dangerous challenges they face every day.
 Return to the scene of the crime with all 23 gripping episodes of the sixth year in a 5 disc set from the Primetime Emmy®-nominated series Law and Order: SVU. Join Primetime Emmy® Award winner Mariska Hargitay and Primetime Emmy® Award nominee Chris Meloni as they and the members of the New York Special Victims Unit hunt down perpetrators and help the emotionally scarred victims of sexually based crimes. With a powerful roster of guest stars including Amanda Plummer (Pulp Fiction), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Michael O'Keefe (Michael Clayton), Martin Short (Saturday Night Live), Alfred Molina (Spiderman-2), Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote) and more, SVU's provocative ripped-from-the-headlines stories are unforgettable watching for TV fans everywhere.
 The clues all lead to one of the most hard-hitting and powerful seasons of Law & Order: SVU ever as all 22 gripping episodes of the compelling seventh season arrive on DVD in a five-disc set. Primetime Emmy® Award winner Mariska Hargitay and Primetime Emmy® Award-nominated actor Chris Meloni return to their critically acclaimed detective roles to investigate some of the most provocative and emotionally intense sexually based crimes ripped from the headlines. Join guest stars Dean Cain, Academy Award® winner Marcia Gay Harden, Brittany Snow, Mark McGrath and more in this Primetime Emmy® Award-nominated series that never flinches from tackling today’s toughest topics head-on.
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