Law & Order: SVU

Law & Order: SVU is an American drama part of NBC's Law & Order franchise. It was reportedly partially inspired by the 1986 "Preppy Killer" case. The show follows the detectives of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit, who investigate crimes that are of a sexual nature. The general format is focusing on one crime per episode, which features the investigation and the legal elements too. Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson is the longest-running primetime drama character ever on U.S. television while co-star Ice-T's Odafin Tutuola is the longest-running Black character on primetime TV.

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• Network: NBC
• Genre: Police procedural, Drama, Legal drama, Thriller, Mystery
• First Episode Air Date: Sept. 20, 1999
• Current Cast: Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, Tamara Tunie
• Original Cast: Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, BD Wong, Ice-T and Tammara Tunie
• Spinoffs: Law & Order: Organized Crime

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Visit the NBC website for Law & Order: SVU.

Learn more about the show, its cast, and what's to come.