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Season 1 – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Sep 1999 Crime Drama Action Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
This groundbreaking series from executive producer Dick Wolf's "Law & Order" franchise chronicles the ripped-from-the-headlines investigations of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit; led by courageous and compassionate Capt. Olivia Benson, this elite team includes Sgt. Odafin Tutuola, Detective Amanda Rollins, Officer Katriona Tamin and Deputy Chief Christian Garland, who focus on finding justice for the victims of the city's worst crimes; assisting them is ADA Sonny Carisi, who seeks justice for SVU's victims and survivors with passion and precision.
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Season 1

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Special Victims Unit often blurs the line between socially conscious and exploitative, but Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni's terse chemistry adds a dimension of personality to the absorbing Law & Order formula.

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Critics Reviews

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David Chater The Times (UK) 04/16/2020
This spin-off from Law and Order, based on New York cops dealing with sexually motivated crime, does exactly what it sets out to do... It may be a formula, but it works. Go to Full Review Joyce Millman Salon.com 04/16/2020
It's melodramatic and manipulative, splattered with awkward attempts at comedy and lacking in the original's cool dignity. The cases aren't necessarily seamier than the ones that turn up on Law & Order, but the treatment of them is flashier, grabbier. Go to Full Review Pete Clark London Evening Standard 04/16/2020
Special Victims Unit excels at the familiar format: believable plots, tight script, snappy dialogue, crisp editing, fast-paced action, finely judged acting, great lighting and a tension-filled soundtrack. Go to Full Review MaryAnn Johanson Flick Filosopher 04/16/2020
Doing away with the half-law, half-order format, SVU offers more focus on the cops and their personal lives without sacrificing the never-sensationalized police-procedural aspect that fans tune in for. Go to Full Review Ted Olsen Christianity Today 04/16/2020
It had amazing actors and a great pedigree. Law & Order is one of the most consistently satisfying hours on television. So why does this spinoff feel less authentic than, say, "Ryan Caufield: Year One?" Go to Full Review Liz Perle Common Sense Media 04/16/2020
4/5
Law & Order: SVU is the most disturbing of the NBC Law & Order franchises. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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hypmic T @RT12909055 05/12/2025 I don't know if it's bad or good, in the first season there isn't much connection or chemistry between the actors and some cases instead of being sad just go unnoticed. It's a strange season to watch, and honestly, there are others a thousand times better—basically, it's just weird. But seeing Benson and Stabler getting to know each other adds points. See more Fabrícia F @Fabricia 09/22/2024 O programa policial mais famoso da Tv, apresenta casos criminais de cunho sexual que desafiam as autoridades e a justiça. Uma ode à busca pela justiça e proteção às vítimas. A detetive Olívia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) e elenco de ouro protagonizam episódios complexos de tirar o fôlego. Absolutamente bem recomendado. See more 09/25/2021 Since when is it all right to criticize white people? This week I heard the actor Ice (T) mention to his partner how irritating it was to see white people congratulate themselves. Imagine if that word "white" was turned into "black" or "Hispanic", it would then be considered racist. I've lost respect for the show. See more Read all reviews
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Christopher Meloni

Detective Elliot Stabler

Mariska Hargitay

Detective Olivia Benson

Dann Florek

Capt. Donald Cragen

Richard Belzer

Detective John Munch

Dean Winters

Brian Cassidy

Elizabeth Ashley

Serena Benson

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 20, 1999 Payback Detectives Stabler and Benson investigate the murder and dismemberment of a cabdriver who was a wanted man. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 27, 1999 A Single Life Benson and Stabler run into multiple dead ends while investigating the case of a woman who fell to her death wearing only a slip. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 4, 1999 ... Or Just Look Like One When a popular teen is sexually assaulted, Benson and Stabler delve into a modeling underworld of thoughtless parents, drug-dealing doctors and a trendy agency executive. Details Episode 4 Aired Apr 4, 2009 Hysteria Detectives Benson and Stabler believe a fellow cop may be behind murders going back 30 years; Munch is in rare form during a child molestation case. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 18, 1999 Wanderlust Benson and Stabler believe a pedophile (John Dossett) may be behind the murder of a travel writer, especially after meeting the victim's landlady and her streetwise daughter (Patricia Richardson, Lynn Collins). Details Episode 6 Aired Oct 25, 1999 Sophomore Jinx Benson and Stabler suspect a pair of college basketball players of murdering a female student, but officials don't want to draw negative attention to the school. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 15, 1999 Uncivilized The state pursues a media-sensationalized case against a known pedophile who's suspected of assaulting and killing a youth. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 22, 1999 Stalked Stabler fears a combative Benson will be the next victim of a real estate agent suspected of sexually assaulting and murdering a lawyer. Details Episode 9 Aired Nov 29, 1999 Stocks & Bondage Benson and Stabler investigate a successful woman's suspicious death and find themselves in the world of sadomasochism. Details Episode 10 Aired Jan 7, 2000 Closure Benson and Stabler encounter problems when the prime suspect in a sexual assault cannot be identified by the shaken victim. Details Episode 11 Aired Jan 14, 2000 Bad Blood Detectives Benson and Stabler hunt for the killer of a gay man whose father heads a conservative watchdog group; Munch looks for Benson's biological father. Details Episode 12 Aired Jan 21, 2000 Russian Love Poem A suspicious ring of Russian immigrants offers little help in assisting Stabler and Benson to solve the murder of a multimillionaire. Details Episode 13 Aired Feb 4, 2000 Disrobed Detectives Benson and Stabler investigate the shooting death of a sleazy judge who abused the criminal-justice system. Details Episode 14 Aired Feb 11, 2000 Limitations The detectives must solve a 5-year-old sexual assault case before the statute of limitations closes it. Details Episode 15 Aired Feb 18, 2000 Entitled Benson and Stabler team with detectives Briscoe and Green to investigate the gunshot murder of a man believed to be a sexual aggressor. Details Episode 16 Aired Feb 25, 2000 The Third Guy Two local hoods are implicated in the murder and rape of an elderly woman, though they claim they only broke in to rob her. Details Episode 17 Aired Mar 31, 2000 Misleader The detectives learn that the pregnant daughter-in-law of a prominent religious educator may have been having an affair at the time of her murder. Details Episode 18 Aired Apr 14, 2000 Chat Room A sexual assault case involving a teenage girl leads Benson and Stabler to set up a sting operation to trap Internet pedophiles. Details Episode 19 Aired Apr 28, 2000 Contact The detectives investigate a series of sexual attacks happening on subways; Benson begins dating a crime reporter. Details Episode 20 Aired May 5, 2000 Remorse Munch bonds with a television news reporter (Jennifer Esposito) who was sexually assaulted months earlier. Details Episode 21 Aired May 12, 2000 Nocturne The trial of an accused child molester is jeopardized when the prime witness has difficulty dealing with his past. Details Episode 22 Aired May 19, 2000 Slaves Police suspect a corporate lawyer (Andrew McCarthy) is connected to a murder and to a Romanian nanny thought to be sexually abused. Details

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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Season 1

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit View more photos

Season Info

Director
Michael Fields, Constantine Makris, Richard Dobbs, Jud Taylor, Rick Rosenthal, Lesli Linka Glatter
Executive Producer
Dick Wolf, Robert Palm, Neal Baer
Screenwriter
Dawn DeNoon, Michael R. Perry, Miriam Kazdin, Wendy West, Lisa Marie Petersen, Roger Garrett, John Chambers, Janet Tamaro, Eva Nagorski, Nick Harding, Rene Balcer
Network
NBC
Rating
TV-14
Genre
Crime, Drama, Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 20, 1999