Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999– ) User Reviews

Ever since Kelli Giddish left, this show is tanking.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 8/10 · 31 March 2023]

As a huge fan and follower of this show for many, many years, I had rated it 10/10, and never missed an episode. But this new season ever since Kelli Giddish left the show, it seems the casting and writing has left the building as well.

I'm not saying that Giddish made or broke the show, but it seems with her leaving, the writers and casting directors left with her, because most of the new characters are just not believable, or offer up any reason to relate or sympathize with them, and the writing has become stale, ridiculous and mostly boring.

We see much less of the regulars like Tutuola, except for Benson, who seems to be on a power-trip all of the time all of a sudden, and Carisi, who seems lost since his love interest left her position. All the new cast seem to be entangled in too many nonsense personal dramas, and are just not convincing in their roles.

For the first time, I look more forward to seeing L&O-OC instead of L&O-SVU, as they've upped their writing and the show has become more suspenseful. Thus I've dropped my rating to a 8/10. Hopefully the writing improves with the upcoming episodes and the new characters as this season progresses.

Very Healing

[soraya-ririe · 8/10 · 15 January 2019]

At first I was hesitant to start watching this show. I am a survivor of rape and sexual assault, so I was afraid that this would be triggering for me. However it has actually been the opposite. Watching SVU has helped me heal and find closure with my past. I love that they are always actively combatting rape culture, and reminding that every one is worth a damn.

Especially Heinous

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 5 August 2012]

I've always thought that Special Victims Unit was qualitatively inferior to the original Law And Order. Not that the cast was bad and certain individual episodes were outstanding. But overall the concept of focusing on sex crimes led our detectives way far field into areas that certainly were not in their jurisdiction. In real life Benson, Staebler, Tutuola, and Munch should have handed off cases to other squads and investigative units and even other police agencies.

Still Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay made a most professional team and their biggest contribution to the show's staying power was demonstrating that two people could have a most professional relationship without becoming romantically involved. When Meloni started having marital issues they were not over Mariska.

It took awhile, but Richard Belzer who retired from the Baltimore PD and went right to work for the Sex Crime Unit at the NYPD finally came up with a chemically compatible partner in Ice-T. In fact all four of the detectives register with unique personalities and a take on life.

The producers of Law And Order owed Dann Florek big time for dropping him from the prime series so it was nice to see him back in charge of this squad. A nice connection to the original series.

This show's gets far more way out in its stories, but they are delivered with pride and professionalism as befits the cast. Only the most especially heinous of crimes are dealt with here.

Maybe the best crime-series at the moment and very underrated I feel

[stamper · 25 January 2005]

When I am communicating with other people interested in crime series it is remarkable how many people seem to watch either CSI or CSI: Miami or both. Rarely (actually never) have I heard talk about this show, unless I brought it up myself and ended up discussing it with them. Of course I do not know the situation in America and other countries regarding this show, but I feel it is very underrated in the Netherlands. Of course this has a lot to do with it's programming spot. While CSI is usually on Saturday's at 8:30 or 9:30 p.m. and CSI: Miami on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m., SVU's spot has been Sunday's around 11p.m. for quite some time now. That's hardly what I call a prime time spot. Just to compare I looked up the share's of those 3 shows on the internet. CSI has a share of 26 in the US and 17,5 in the Netherlands. For CSI:Miami these numbers are 15,0 and 13,2 and for SVU they are 17,0 and 7,7. This doesn't mean much, but once bring the number of households into it, it gets a lot clearer. CSI has about 18,6 million viewers in the US while CSI:Miami and SVU have 10,5 and 11,9 viewers respectively. In the Netherlands these figures are 1,175 million; 910 thousand and 370 thousand. This means that SVU has less than one-third of the viewers CSI has and MUCH less than half the viewers CSI: Miami has. In America SVU has two-thirds of the viewers of CSI and about 10% more than CSI:Miami. In my opinion this has a lot to do with the extremely bad programming spot SVU has gained in the Netherlands and the fact that the program is not advertised as vigorously as the two CSI's, for I feel it cannot have anything to do with it's quality.

The thing that makes SVU stand out so much in opinion, is that the stories depicted are very realistic and heart felt. I personally appreciate it very much, that there are no cheap attempts to make you cry by extending dramatic scenes or underscoring them with sad music. Mostly the sad parts happen quite suddenly and are relatively short. Maybe that's just another 'trick' to get you to cry without being as obvious as many soap opera's. TO me though, it makes the stories appeal much more life-like and truly gut-wrenching and sad.

Also all of the characters are good. If you watch long enough, you can get bits and pieces of information on everyone of them, thus discovering what makes them tick. I must admit that the series has changes it's emphasis a bit in recent years. In the first year there were numerous episode's that featured theme's or events from the investigator's home environment (especially Stabler's). This trend has somewhat diminished over the years, yet you can still see each individual's background shining through into their work ethics. One thin I really had to get used to was Richard Belzer's (Det. John Munch) role getting smaller. It seems to me that in the first few years of the series he was present much more and he made much more cynical remarks, something I really enjoyed. But overall the series has not changed for the worse, for I feel it has actually improved. While a few years ago I'd given this series an 8 out of 10 I'm much more inclined now to rate it even higher. What I've come to appreciate these last 2 or three years, were the additions of Ice-T (Det. Fin Tutuola), B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang) and Stephanie March (A.D.A. Alex Cabbot) to the team. Stephanie March's character provides the viewer not only with an insight to what the D.A's job is, but her involvement in the series also shows what difficult decisions need to be made at times when the victim becomes the pursued or when a suspect cannot legally be brought to justice. Huang's intense involvement lately is in my opinion the biggest and best evolution the series has undergone (up until now). Not only because there have been few if any series which placed the work of the forensic psychiatrist is in the spotlight, but also it is much more realistic than for instance the media's depiction of profilers in The Silence of the Lambs or the TV-series Profiler. Also I think it is good (in addition to being very interesting) to show the public that not every offender is purely bad, but there is often much more when you go beyond the surface. As for Ice-T's character, I think he really completes the mix in the show, as the tough street cop. Him and Belzer are an ideal couple, just like Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni).

The reasons, I personally feel SVU is the best crime series on the tube at the moment, are easily summarized. It has very much diversity, it offers insight into the psyche's of both victim's and perpetrators and it is realistic in every aspect.

9 out of 10

an excellent show, absolutely stunning

[The_Amazing_Spy_Rises · 10/10 · 3 March 2005]

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

Helping me through cancer

[mmayfield-60707 · 10/10 · 12 August 2019]

I love the SVU series. I'm watching every episode from the beginning. It helps me so much to think about something other than my cancer pain. So thank you for saving me from that!

Hargitay ego trip.

[mrrcave · 8/10 · 17 April 2020]

I used to love this show, but now it's all about Benson. She leads the charge, delivers all the crushing lines, saves the day, swans around as is SVU was her baby, and we get her flamin personal life thrown in to boot.

I am irritated now by her. Her twee soft voice when trying to appear caring, her cocking her head to the left when trying to appear sympathetic.

Mariska can't act. She has for some reason risen up through the ranks of this once brilliant show and now in her leading lady role, as well as producer and director has turned it into a one trick, three legged donkey.

My favorite show on television

[jlhracer · 10/10 · 10 September 2009]

I am not usually into law all that much but this show is an exception. Each actor does an excellent job portraying their character and the show keeps me on the edge of my seat in every episode I watch.

Also, they do a excellent job at making the least suspected character that many don't think did the crime, the one who actually did do the crime.

They also do a good job at making the storyline for each episode. Instead of keeping the same old ones in every episode, they mix the story lines between rape, poison, kidnap, beating, child abuse etc. You just never know what the show is about until you watch it and that is what makes it so great.

Overall, I give this excellent show a 10/10.

The best on the box

[cosmic_quest · 9/10 · 9 March 2006]

A spin-off of the 'Law and Order' series, 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' has to be one of the best police shows on television in a long time. While I do enjoy the original 'Law and Order' series, it has to take a distant second place to SVU with it's gritty, involving scripts, well-depicted characters and excellent performances from all the cast. It is never afraid to portray the darker side of humanity and what depths people can go to in hurting another.

The characters give the audiences different means of venting their disgust and shock of the abuse cases the SVU team deal with. From Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler, who openly displays the utter hatred of paedophiles that we all identify with (and I hope there are many officers like Stabler in the police forces across the world), to Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson, who shows deep caring for the child and abuse victims she comes into contact with. The rest of the cast are also brilliant and give you a feel that these are characters who care for each other and the people they protect.

With the amount of rubbish that is aired on British television at the moment, SVU reminds me why I bother to keeping buying a TV license.

Great show before Olivia Benson became in charge of SVU

[lovettstough · 10/10 · 29 October 2016]

I still do not like the character of Olivia Benson being in charge of SVU as she is not good at it at all as she strictly is all for the females every time as far as victims go but then she doesn't trust or get totally along with Rollins maybe she sees her as a threat or something because Rollins sees & hears both sides males & females. They need to bring in somebody else to be in charge of SVU & bust Benson back down to just being a detective. The last & latest episode I'm on the fence or almost over the fence because the "victim" liked the guy when she first seen him telling her cousin he is hot & then the whole bathroom scene & other witnesses from the party said she was all over him even as they went outside. I do not think it warrants rape. Also in this episode Benson makes it sound like before we have sex every time we have to ask permission & wait for a firm definitive yes or no whether it's our wife or girlfriend or whomever & that way off point & wrong. Rape is or should be when somebody says no or is fighting you off while at the same time the perp doesn't care what the female is saying & forces it on her anyway.

Another great show drawn on too long and lost sight of it's roots

[olsent-46072 · 6/10 · 19 June 2019]

I started watching this on Netflix as a binge show. I fell in love with the original cast from the beginning. Stabler kept Benson in check, and Capt. Kragen kept them both in check. Then comes season 11 (i think it was) that ends with Stabler shooting the kid in their squad room. So no more stable to keep Benson on track. Then one of the best characters retires - Sgt. Munch. and the show needs a new Sgt. so who else but Benson gets it. Oh and then Kragen retires, and now they need a new leader, so obviously, this show is now The Olivia Benson show. It's stopped being about the SVU, it's now a drama about Benson. Her kidnapping, her torture, her adoption, etc.

They need to get back on track and involve the rest of the cast more, like they used to do. This 1 man (or woman rather) team of Olivia Benson and her wishy washy law enforcement is getting really old. I finally made it through season 20, I'm finding it very hard to make myself start watching Season 21

Quality till all ruined in season 22 !!!

[mark-98200 · 10/10 · 27 July 2021]

Must watch tv till season 22 , then tick in the box woke nonsense took over , every episode now has a race angle or some left wing soap box preaching in it , let's drop the PC nonsense and get back to how it was !

Sadly moved away somewhat from the detective work to make political statements.

[Bigweight66 · 7/10 · 7 August 2021]

One of the better detective shows ever on television. The show is about a group of detectives who work in the Special Victims Unit and investigate sex related crimes. The SVU detectives are all dedicated and have their own stories and inner battles. Running for over 20 years is testament to the shows strength. It was far better during the first 10 - 12 years, as would be expected. The show has lost some steam, its edginess and changed direction somewhat over last several seasons. For the first 10 - 12 years of this show it was generally well balanced in its views. It focused closely on the detectives work and catching the criminal. For years now the detective work usually plays second fiddle to the show being self-righteous and making a political statement. But it is still worth watching now if you like detectives shows, just try to watch some episodes from the first 10 - 12 years.

The stories are usually well constructed and interesting. The theme most times is - a crime is committed, the detectives investigate and the case goes to court. The viewer gets taken through most steps of the crime, investigation and court case. The actual detective work portrayed is far from flawless, and often not the way real life detectives could or would work a case. There are often twists and turns in the story, some you see coming some you don't. The production, sets and acting is very good.

The best years of this show are the ones with the well balanced team of Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson. Stabler who is a force to be reckoned with but a bit of a loose cannon at times. With Benson as the deep thinker and more compassionate one. They were the stars of the show and a good team. They upheld the law and investigated the cases in a gritty and tough environment. There has always been a strong support cast and often a good guest star. The show has a cast members leaving and being replaced, which keeps the team dynamics fresh and interesting. With the absence of Detective Elliot Stabler during the latter years, the character of Detective Olivia Benson on-screen presence has grown noticeably. Its a shame as some of the other characters are well played and quite interesting, they should get more camera time without Olivia Bensons constant presence. Once a leading detective now Olivia Benson is the Captain of the unit, she is unlike the old captain who gave a few orders and some age old wisdom. Olivia Benson is very hands on and usually takes centre stage in virtually all of the stories with her brand of police work and leftist views on life. Mariska Hargitay became an executive producer of the show, which might explain the growth of the Olivia Benson character. The show has become more and more woke/left which affects the balance of the story telling. During the last several years of the show, its not too hard to guess who committed the crime, as more times than not, it is a nasty white guy, middle to upper class, 25 - 55 years old who is the perpetrator.

Started Out as a Really Good Cop Show - Then Tanked

[PartialMovieViewer · 3/10 · 27 August 2021]

I really loved this show in the beginning. Cool scripts, acting on point and focused on crime solving. Opinions were absent. Later, politics took over the show, too bad. It's now all about Mariska, Mariska, Mariska - definitely wandered away from crime solving into raising a child and crying tears. I have plenty of old shows and movies to watch...this one is off my list now. Time to cancel.

Well-done

[MichaelOates · 16 February 2004]

Quality is the foundation that "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is based upon. With compelling storylines, great performances and a first-rate cast; "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" radiates from the screen each hour it is on every night. Dick Wolf has combined quality writing with quality casting in the second of three series' in the "Law & Order" franchise.

Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T, Dann Florek, B.D. Wong and Richard Belzer all share one thing in common: they star in one of finest series on television.

Mariska, Chris, Ice-T, Dann, B. D. and Stephanie March are a well-rounded cast that bring great depth to their characters and compliment each other very well. Furthermore, the cast portray their characters so well that I have to remind myself that they are actors not detectives.

Quality writing and outstanding performances set "Law And Order: SVU" apart from the other dramas on television. Each episode is riveting, written with intelligence, and character driven. It is a privilege to watch "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

The writers' ability to draw viewers in and make them care about the involving storylines and characters help to make "Law & Order: SVU" one of the finest legal series on television.

Best of the "Law & Order" spin-offs

[dee.reid · 10/10 · 18 August 2007]

Other than the original "Law & Order" police-drama created by Dick Wolf, spin-off series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is the best. This series focuses on the SVU, a section of the New York Police Department that specializes in sexually-based offenses. Here, on the "Law" side, we're introduced to ultra-cool cop duo Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), supported by John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) and watched over by Cpt. Donald Cragen (Dann Florek). Other supporting characters include M.E. Warner (Tamara Tunie) and Dr. Huang (B.D. Wong). On the "Order" side, we have ADA Casey Novak (Diane Neal, who replaced ADA Alexandra Cabot, who was played by Stephanie March for five seasons). I think this is the highest-rated spin-off because it's the most accessible. We have characters we really like, and we're continuously showed their lives on and off the job, and I think that's what draws us in each week for more. I still occasionally read stories about how some of the actors on "SVU" are approached on the street by fans of the show and are told how much they mean to them. That's a mark of truly great television, don't you think?

10/10

Stick a fork in it!

[bigpoppa206 · 10/10 · 4 October 2019]

This was an amazing show when it had a bigger ensemble cast. Now its less than a handful of regulars?!?!!! Just not as good as it used to be.

Overstayed its welcome years ago

[ShooShooFontana · 9/10 · 24 May 2019]

I used to LOVE this show. Like many, I was sad when Stabler left and kept hoping he'd return but, hey, at least we still had Munch, Cragen and Fin. The show should've ended when Munch and Cragen left. Since then, it seems the sole purpose of this show is to surpass the record set by the FAR SUPERIOR original "Law & Order" which NEVER should've ended (or, at least been given the proper send-off it deserved). The last several years of SVU have been completely unwatchable. Not because of the so-called "leftist propoganda" some viewers have accused but because the writing, acting, and overall feel and tone of the show has descended to the immeasurably low quality formerly found only in embarrassingly inferior "Law & Order" wannabe franchises (CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, et al).

This show doesn't deserve to have the record for longevity when the quality has been sorely lacking for at least the last 1/3 of its run. Just END it already!

Stabler and Benson

[Maniac-9 · 10/10 · 30 January 2012]

The focal point of the series has always been the detective team of Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson. They work in the special victims unit aka the sex crimes unit of the NYPD, also in the unit are John Munch(who alter on becomes a Sergeant), Odafin Tutuola and Captain Cragen. The show covers pretty every angle of sex crimes and child abuse, really bringing the stories home. IMO this is the best of all the L&O series, none of the rest of the L&O series really let you know the main characters as well as SVU does. In the main L&O show you don't really learn all that much out about the detectives outside of what they do for a living.

One of the best TV shows on today

[moviesleuth2 · 10/10 · 22 July 2009]

Ever since it premiered in 1994, Dick Wolf's "Law and Order" has been a massive hit. The shows are constantly on one channel or another, and all of them are great. In 1999, the franchise launched it's first spin-off, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit," which dealt with sex crimes. Spin-offs don't usually last long, but "SVU" did and is still going strong. In fact, it's entirely reasonable to argue that it's first spin-off is better than its parent.

The show revolves around the Special Victims Unit of the NYPD. The squad deals primarily with sex crimes. While the cast has changed a bit over the years, in general, there are four detectives and a lawyer they gather evidence for. The main detectives are Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), John Munch (Richard Belzer), and Fin Tutola (Ice-T). The most prominent lawyers are Alex Cabot (Stephanie March) and Casey Novak (Diane Neal). Their captain, Donald Cragen (Dan Florek) is secondary, but appears in just about every episode. In the last few seasons, two regular guest stars have been added to the main cast: Melinda Warner (Tamera Tunie), the medical examiner, and George Huang (B.D. Wong), the FBI trained criminal psychologist.

Like its parent show, "SVU" features strong stories and great acting. All the guest characters are well-acted. The dialogue and stories are intelligent, and they are unafraid of tackling new and difficult subject matter. The latter is easily the show's biggest strength. While the shows have the same feel, every episode feels fresh because they tackle new issues in different ways.

"SVU" has something that none of the other shows in the "Law and Order" franchise do: three-dimensional main characters. The two main detectives, Benson and Stabler, are frequently fleshed out, and three-dimensional. Their personal conflicts often influence how they react to a case, and this keeps the show interesting. For example, Stabler is Catholic, and a father of five, so crimes involving young girls frequently hit close to home for him. Benson is the product of a rape, and this influences how she tackles certain cases. Benson is especially good at talking to the victims, and this gives her a softer side that's easy to like. Munch (carried over from another Dick Wolf show, "Homicide: Life on the Street"), is a conspiracy nut and frequently makes sarcastic jokes. Fin is a tough guy from narcotics, but he has a softer side as well.

The show wouldn't be half as good if the main characters weren't well-acted. When I learned that Meloni's background is in comedy, I was shocked. There's no sense of that in his portrayal of Stabler. Stabler is a closed-off individual who tries to avoid letting the stress out to prevent pain for his family. He's a family man, and his time and effort into his work takes him away from them, and that is constantly on his mind. Mariska Hargitay is the show's best performer (and the only one from the franchise who has gotten any acting nominations (and wins)), and that's understandable. She's brilliant. Alternately sensitive and tough, Benson is easily the most dynamic character in the franchise. She frequently goes undercover, and Hargitay doesn't just act like the person her character is posing as, she plays it as Benson acting. Richard Belzer provides comic relief, but he is more than capable of handling drama. Ice-T is another rapper-turned-actor, but Ice-T is terrific as Fin.

Despite the dark and disturbing subject matter, the show doesn't shy away from a sense of humor. Most episodes have a few good one-liners, some of which are laugh-out-loud hilarious. But the show is careful enough not to turn this into a comedy.

Every episode is great. There are a few episodes that are flat (what show doesn't have these, especially one that has run this long?), but the great ones vastly outnumber those that are less-than-par. A good number of them are simply genius ("Design," "Charisma," "Raw," "Scourge," "Scavenger," "Game," "Tragedy," "Debt," "Doubt," "Pure," and a few others).

Make no mistake, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" is simply incredible.

So, What,s Next? Maybe "LAW & Order: Traffic & Parking Control."

[redryan64 · 8/10 · 24 October 2007]

Creating a successful Crime/Police/Drama is a hard task. To take your already successful series, such as "LAW & ORDER"(0000), give the fundamental premise, look at it from a different point of view and bring us something new and different, yet somehow familiar, you're in again! In this case, we have an example of the highly successful "other" series, "LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT." Known as "SVU" for short, this spin-off hit the ground running back in 1999, and has been toward the front of the pack ever since. "SVU" has the same look of its forerunner, what with the same type of Police Buildings and Court Rooms used. The Court Exteriors, with the seemingly endless flight of cement stairs to climb, use to discuss cases or to face up to the Cameras and Microphones of the "Gentlemen" of the Electronic Media.

The shows all feature the functions and work of the Prosecutors, as well as that of the Detectives. As far as the basic overall blueprint for an individual Episode, here is where the two related series diverge.

Whereas "SVU" does dramatize the Court Room and the "trials and tribulations of the Assistant District Attorney is generally a little less of the screen time as the approximately half time taken up by the "Suits"in the progenitor, "LAW & ORDER".

"SYU" also does get more into the personal lives of the regular characters in each story than does "LAW & ORDER". What with Olivia's(Miss Hargitay)longing to find the true identity of her Father.(She is the product of Her Mother's Rape!) And we have Fin's (Ice-T) getting personally involved with certain Victims. Also, we have the problem's of Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Maloni), who is the family man of the SVU Detective Squad. He simultaneously struggles with raising his kids right, and seeing all of the sexual promiscuity and abuse of the youths by perverted offenders.

In the category of re-cycled parts, we have two(2). First of all there is Dann Florek as Captain Don Cragin, formerly boss of the Detectives on "LAW & ORDER", but was resurrected after a couple seasons hiatus, only this time to head up the Special Vics'Unit.Then of course there is Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer), formerly with the Homicide Unit of the Baltimore Police Department. This inclusion of Munch, from "HOMICIDE: Life on the Street"(1993-99), was a natural as there had been several "crossovers"* involving the two series over the years.

In conclusion, this "LAW & ORDER" spin off has managed to be just enough like the original, yet having the innate ability to be just a little different.

Was great but now is just the Olivia Benson show

[ScarletElizabeth · 6/10 · 7 September 2023]

I loved this show for the first 12 seasons maybe 13 seasons. The stories were great and well told and the character dynamics were really good. As the seasons have gone on and more of the original cast has left the show has started to focus way too much on Olivia Benson and it's become repetitive.

Cragen as a captain was never as involved as Olivia is as a Captain.

Having the old cast with supporting characters such as George and Melinda made the show better and varied. So did having more court scenes and being able to truly follow the story through. The original law and order has also done the split of law and order better anyway.

The show in my opinion has passed the point it should have ended. When it's so repetitive in its storytelling it becomes boring to watch.

The original concept and cast made the show what it was. The newer cast just isn't doing it in the same way for me.

Maybe slightly repetitive

[Dr_Coulardeau · 9/10 · 15 June 2018]

This version of the Law and Order series is interesting because it reduces the justice part to as little as possible, except when there is a real problem in court, such as the decision of a verdict that frees a criminal, a murderer most of the time on some technicality or some doubt about the intention of the criminal.

The sexual dimension of these cases is always quite obvious but can be of many different types from voyeurism to stalking and to rape and murder. This dimension of these crimes is interesting because it erases the cases themselves, or nearly. This dimension is so shocking that we do not try to really understand the subtlety of the investigation that is not always very subtle as if the nature of the crime justified some sloppy and violent procedure on the side of the police.

But on the side of the main characterization of these crimes, we deal with illegal immigrants, some racial minorities, sexist people, incest, pedophilia, and quite many other colorations and dressings. It is these options that give the series an interest because then they deal with real social problems in New York. And it is open enough to look at sex crimes in a more comprehensive way than just from men against women.

It is rather entertaining and easy to watch, even if after a while it appears somewhat redundant. It is also true that the short format of the series does not encourage any analysis in depth of the circumstantial and existential context of the crimes.

Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU

No longer the great!

[Film-Extra · 7/10 · 28 February 2022]

Season 23 has been the worst season of the series. It was supposed to be one of the best in many with the return of Stabler. Sadly after watching for about 15 years and have seen every episode I'm no longer a fan. It's lost what it once had.

Enough already

[mls4182 · 1/10 · 23 September 2021]

It was a great show for the first ten years. The cast is great but it is time to move on. The crimes just get more grotesque and disturbing for sensation.