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

Creator:

Dick Wolf

Seasons:

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

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 John Munch | Criminal Investigation | Detective | Police | Sex Crime

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 28 wins & 59 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. May 9	7:00 PM	USA	Confrontation	#8.5
Sat. May 10	6:00 AM	USA	Deception	#4.2

Cast

Christopher Meloni	...	Detective Elliot Stabler (202 episodes, 1999-2008)
Mariska Hargitay	...	Detective Olivia Benson (202 episodes, 1999-2008)
Richard Belzer	...	Detective John Munch / ... (202 episodes, 1999-2008)
Dann Florek	...	Captain Donald Cragen (202 episodes, 1999-2008)
Steven Zirnkilton	...	Opening Announcer (197 episodes, 1999-2008)
Ice-T	...	Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola / ... (180 episodes, 2000-2008)
B.D. Wong	...	Dr. George Huang (156 episodes, 2001-2008)
Tamara Tunie	...	Dr. Melinda Warner (128 episodes, 2000-2008)
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

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-14 | Australia:M (some episodes) | Hungary:18 | Singapore:NC-16 (season 2) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (some episodes) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Wolf Films

Trivia:

The series was originally proposed under the title Sex Crimes, and unrelated to the "Law & Order" (1990) brand. NBC thought the title was too harsh, and after discussions between network executives and Dick Wolf (creator of "Law & Order" (1990)) it became part of the Law & Order brand, debuting as "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999).

Quotes:

Capt. Donald Cragen: It's a case of he said, she said, he's dead

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Beat: They Say It's Your Birthday (#1.2)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

I'm Not Driving Anymore

Best one in the L&O Franchise

I have never one been that big of a fan of the original Law & Order. I would watch it for time to time and it was an alright show but never really had anything jump out at me to make it one of my can't miss shows. Then this show came on. I watched this show when it premiered back in 1999 and was impressed from the get go. Sure it followed the basic premise of it's original cousin but was much more loose on it's format and execution. Some episodes hardly ever involve the court room at all where the original week in week out follows a distinct pattern. First half hour is the law then the next is the order. This show although does sometimes follow the same pattern like i mentioned it is much more loose in how it executes it. Mariska Hartigay is excellent as her portrayal of Det. Olivia Benson. The whole cast as a whole is magnificent. Now I know a lot of people will disagree with me that this show is in no way better than the original but for me it is. It has given me something that the original never did.