Official poster for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Scripted series · NBC

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Hope in the darkness.

8.0IMDb4K votesOutstanding
Community—0/20 ratingsYour ratingRateSign in to rate
1999 –28 seasons · 595 episodesTV-14Returning series
MysteryCrimeDrama
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Who's in it

Cast

The principal ensemble across the run of the series.

Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Hargitay

Olivia Benson

595 eps

Ice-T

Ice-T

Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola

572 eps

Christopher Meloni

Christopher Meloni

Elliot Stabler

284 eps

Danny Pino

Danny Pino

Nick Amaro

95 eps

Richard Belzer

Richard Belzer

John Munch

325 eps

Aimé Donna Kelly

Aimé Donna Kelly

Renee Curry

51 eps

Dann Florek

Dann Florek

Donald Cragen

333 eps

Raúl Esparza

Raúl Esparza

Rafael Barba

130 eps

Stephanie March

Stephanie March

Alexandra Cabot

97 eps

Tamara Tunie

Tamara Tunie

Dr. Melinda Warner

226 eps

BD Wong

BD Wong

Dr. George Huang

232 eps

Adam Beach

Adam Beach

Chester Lake

21 eps

Jamie Gray Hyder

Jamie Gray Hyder

Katriona Tamin

36 eps

Octavio Pisano

Octavio Pisano

Joe Velasco

84 eps

Philip Winchester

Philip Winchester

Peter Stone

33 eps

Demore Barnes

Demore Barnes

Christian Garland

25 eps

Michaela McManus

Michaela McManus

Kim Greylek

22 eps

Michelle Hurd

Michelle Hurd

Monique Jeffries

25 eps

Juliana Aidén Martinez

Juliana Aidén Martinez

Kate Silva

22 eps

Kelli Giddish

Kelli Giddish

Amanda Rollins

282 eps

Peter Scanavino

Peter Scanavino

Dominick 'Sonny' Carisi Jr.

252 eps

Diane Neal

Diane Neal

Casey Novak

113 eps

Dean Winters

Dean Winters

Brian Cassidy

32 eps

Corey Cott

Corey Cott

Det. Jake Griffin

22 eps

Stephen Gregory

Stephen Gregory

Kyle Beresford

18 eps

Daniel Sunjata

Daniel Sunjata

Burt Trevor

16 eps

Ami Brabson

Ami Brabson

Karyn Blake

24 eps

Ned Eisenberg

Ned Eisenberg

Roger Kressler

24 eps

Audrie Neenan

Audrie Neenan

Lois Preston

22 eps

Peter McRobbie

Peter McRobbie

Walter Bradley

18 eps

Kevin Kane

Kevin Kane

Terry Bruno

65 eps

Lynn Marocola

Police Officer (uncredited)

33 eps

Peter Gallagher

Peter Gallagher

William Dodds

19 eps

Aida Turturro

Aida Turturro

Felicia Catano

16 eps

Terry Serpico

Terry Serpico

Tommy McGrath

20 eps

Caren Browning

Caren Browning

Judith Siper

43 eps

Jenna Stern

Jenna Stern

Elana Barth

20 eps

Allison Siko

Allison Siko

Kathleen Stabler

18 eps

Ryan Buggle

Ryan Buggle

Noah Porter-Benson

42 eps

Peter Hermann

Peter Hermann

Trevor Langan

36 eps

The Nutevio profile

TV DNA

How Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.

Signature profile

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit reads strongest on Tension, Character Depth and Bingeability.

TensionDefining9.0

The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.

Character DepthDefining8.6

How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.

BingeabilityVery strong7.3

How hard it is to stop after one episode.

Cliffhanger IntensityVery strong7.0

How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.

Emotional WeightStrong6.9

How much the series is designed to affect you.

SerializedPresent5.0

How much each hour depends on the one before it.

SpectacleLight3.5

Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.

World BuildingLight3.5

The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.

HumourLight2.5

How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.

The story

What it's about

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.

The run

Seasons

28 seasons · 595 episodes.

  • Official poster for Specials

    Season 0 · Unannounced

    Specials

    6 episodes

  • Official poster for Season 1

    Season 1 · Complete

    Season 1

    199922 episodes

    7.5IMDb

    Best episode · S01E11 Bad Blood

  • Official poster for Season 2

    Season 2 · Complete

    Season 2

    200021 episodes

    8.0IMDb

    Best episode · S02E18 Manhunt

  • Official poster for Season 3

    Season 3 · Complete

    Season 3

    200123 episodes

    8.0IMDb

    Best episode · S03E22 Competence

  • Official poster for Season 4

    Season 4 · Complete

    Season 4

    200225 episodes

    7.5IMDb

    Best episode · S04E19 Appearances

  • Official poster for Season 5

    Season 5 · Complete

    Season 5

    200325 episodes

    7.9IMDb

    Best episode · S05E20 Lowdown

  • Official poster for Season 6

    Season 6 · Complete

    Season 6

    200423 episodes

    7.6IMDb

    Detectives Benson, Stabler, Fin and Munch face serial killers, self-proclaimed psychics and cult leaders as they investigate crime in New York City.

    Best episode · S06E16 Ghost

  • Official poster for Season 7

    Season 7 · Complete

    Season 7

    200522 episodes

    7.6IMDb

    The unit's gut-wrenching cases include a schoolyard shooting of a child, a shady dating service and a shocking revelation regarding Tutuola's son.

    Best episode · S07E19 Fault

  • Official poster for Season 8

    Season 8 · Complete

    Season 8

    200622 episodes

    7.7IMDb

    Best episode · S08E16 Philadelphia

  • Official poster for Season 9

    Season 9 · Complete

    Season 9

    200719 episodes

    7.7IMDb

    Best episode · S09E15 Undercover

  • Official poster for Season 10

    Season 10 · Complete

    Season 10

    200822 episodes

    7.8IMDb

    Stabler confronts his own demons when his daughter is caught with drugs, and Benson follows connections between an abused child and an attack on a woman.

    Best episode · S10E03 Swing

  • Official poster for Season 11

    Season 11 · Complete

    Season 11

    200924 episodes

    7.4IMDb

    A new ADA joins the team, a crime scene photo of a murdered teen goes viral and Stabler tries to prove Benson did not murder a biker.

    Best episode · S11E12 Shadow

  • Official poster for Season 12

    Season 12 · Complete

    Season 12

    201024 episodes

    7.5IMDb

    Best episode · S12E02 Bullseye

  • Official poster for Season 13

    Season 13 · Complete

    Season 13

    201123 episodes

    7.4IMDb

    Season 13 dealt with the departure of Detective Elliot Stabler from the Special Victims Unit after a shooting in the squad room.

    Best episode · S13E05 Missing Pieces

  • Official poster for Season 14

    Season 14 · Complete

    Season 14

    201224 episodes

    7.9IMDb

    Best episode · S14E20 Girl Dishonored

  • Official poster for Season 15

    Season 15 · Complete

    Season 15

    201324 episodes

    8.1IMDb

    Best episode · S15E08 Military Justice

  • Official poster for Season 16

    Season 16 · Complete

    Season 16

    201423 episodes

    8.0IMDb

    Best episode · S16E20 Daydream Believer (III)

  • Official poster for Season 17

    Season 17 · Complete

    Season 17

    201523 episodes

    8.4IMDb

    Best episode · S17E12 A Misunderstanding

  • Official poster for Season 18

    Season 18 · Complete

    Season 18

    201621 episodes

    7.9IMDb

    Best episode · S18E16 The Newsroom

  • Official poster for Season 19

    Season 19 · Complete

    Season 19

    201724 episodes

    8.1IMDb

    Best episode · S19E09 Gone Baby Gone

  • Official poster for Season 20

    Season 20 · Complete

    Season 20

    201824 episodes

    7.4IMDb

    Best episode · S20E10 Alta Kockers

  • Official poster for Season 21

    Season 21 · Complete

    Season 21

    201920 episodes

    7.7IMDb

    Best episode · S21E14 I Deserve Some Loving Too

  • Official poster for Season 22

    Season 22 · Complete

    Season 22

    202016 episodes

    8.2IMDb

    Best episode · S22E14 Post-Graduate Psychopath

  • Official poster for Season 23

    Season 23 · Complete

    Season 23

    202122 episodes

    8.2IMDb

    Best episode · S23E17 Once Upon a Time in El Barrio

  • Official poster for Season 24

    Season 24 · Complete

    Season 24

    202222 episodes

    8.4IMDb

    Best episode · S24E10 Jumped In

  • Official poster for Season 25

    Season 25 · Complete

    Season 25

    202413 episodes

    8.1IMDb

    Best episode · S25E09 Children of Wolves

  • Official poster for Season 26

    Season 26 · Complete

    Season 26

    202422 episodes

    8.4IMDb

    Best episode · S26E01 Fractured

  • Official poster for Season 27

    Season 27 · Complete

    Season 27

    202521 episodes

    8.5IMDb

    Best episode · S27E17 Deep Under

  • Season 28 · Upcoming

    Season 28

    20261 episode

Where the series peaks

Best Episodes

The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.

Still from Children of Wolves

S25E09

Children of Wolves

9.7IMDb6 votes

A teenager found unconscious in the park leads to a missing persons investigation. Benson must help Noah come to terms with the past when he questions the origins of his birth.

11 Apr 202443 min
Still from Post-Graduate Psychopath

S22E14

Post-Graduate Psychopath

9.6IMDb7 votes

Rollins must revisit an old case when a child sent to juvenile detention is released after his 18th birthday.

20 May 202143 min
Still from And the Empire Strikes Back

S23E01

And the Empire Strikes Back

9.3IMDb6 votes

Benson's loyalty to Garland is tested. Rollins and Carisi try to keep their witnesses on board when a powerful congressman is identified as a suspect.

23 Sept 202143 min
Still from Competence

S03E22

Competence

9.3IMDb10 votes

A mentally challenged girl with Down's Syndrome is pregnant, and the question is, was she raped or did she consent and is she competent enough to keep her child?

10 May 200242 min
Still from Daydream Believer (III)

S16E20

Daydream Believer (III)

9.3IMDb12 votes

A Chicago crime resembles a decade-old New York City case, so police from Chicago arrive and team up with the squad to track down a suspect they had to release earlier. The crossover starts on Chicago Fire S03E21 We Called Her Jellybean (I) and Chicago P.D. S02E20 The Number of Rats (II).

29 Apr 201543 min

Recently aired

Latest Episodes

Behind the series

Created by

Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.

The craft

Key Crew

Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.

Executive production

Writing

Direction

Cinematography

Music

Where to watch

Streaming

Availability verified against regional listings.

  • HuluStreaming
  • Amazon VideoBuy
  • Apple TV StoreBuy
  • fuboTVStreaming
  • Peacock PremiumStreaming
  • Google Play MoviesBuy
  • Fandango At HomeBuy
  • YouTube TVStreaming
  • NBCStreaming
  • Peacock Premium PlusStreaming

The wider universe

Connected Series

The Law & Order Universe

The longest-running procedural franchise on television.

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Never stop watching

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