Dick Wolf’s Law & Order universe began in 1990 when he introduced the world to the original series. Piecing together a police procedural with a legal drama, he offered the audience a more complete look at crime fighting. Nine years later, he took this formula and applied it to a specialized unit charged with bringing justice for victims of sexually-based crimes.
It was on September 20, 1999, that viewers tuning into the premiere episode of Law & Order Special Victims Unit (SVU) were greeted with the now well-known intro:
“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”
Dunn! Dunn!
Today marks 25 years since it first aired, with more than 550 episodes of the SVU investigating sexually based crimes, making arrests, and the prosecutors bringing the suspects to trial. Stories that make the justice system look quick and extremely effective.
Two and a half decades of watching Detective Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay, seeking justice for some of society’s most vulnerable victims. Viewers have seen her climb the ranks of the NYPD from junior detective to a captain and the commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit. In this role, Hargitay has been on a primetime series longer than any other actor. Recently, the Smithsonian included one of her costumes for their collection, signifying her status in American culture. Hargitay’s history making character is not the only one. Ice-T, who plays Detective Fin Tutuola, joined Law & Order SVU in the second season. He is now the longest running male actor on a primetime series (Entertainment Weekly).
A quarter of a century of a show that has inspired some of its fans to write their own tales. There are almost 19,000 stories about characters from Law & Order SVU on the Fan Fiction website (fanfiction.net).
9,131 days of inspiring others and advocating for victims of sexual and domestic violence. Hargitay in particular has become a voice for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. She founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, which among other things is working towards ending the backlog of testing rape evidence kits.
Where it all began
When the show began Benson was the junior partner to the more experienced Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). They were contrasting characters. In an interview with Variety, Hargitay describes Stabler as the angry protective father and her character as the loving mother. Together they made a dynamic and effective team. When Meloni unexpectedly left the show after the twelfth season, the loss of this strong partnership could have marked the end. But the show must go on and it did just that. Although, I do not know if anyone could have predicted that it would become the longest running show of its kind on primetime.
While I have continued to watch Law & Order SVU over the years, I decided to take a look back at the first season to see how it has evolved and whether I could uncover the secrets of its longevity.
An episode in the premiere season, “Slaves,” foreshadows Benson’s and Stabler’s paths through the NYPD. While solving the crime of the week, members of the unit are required to visit a psychologist to assess how working in this unit is impacting them and whether they are fit for continued duty. Each interaction gives insight into the detectives, including Detective John Munch (Richard Belzar), who retired from the department in Baltimore and moved the NYC (see previous FRAMED post Homicide: Life on the Street).
Throughout the season, viewers watch Stabler react to the crimes he investigates. He takes the work home, especially when interacting with his daughters and wife, becoming more protective and angrier with each new case. When Stabler meets with the psychologist, one gets the sense that eventually he will not be able to handle the pressure of working these cases. When asked how he deals with these cases, especially those involving children, he intensely says:
“I think a lot…The crime. The victim. Um, the people that do it…[long pause]…how I could get away with killing them.”
At the end of Meloni’s last season, Stabler shoots and kills a woman in the squad room. Her mother had been raped and murdered; she was seeking vengeance on the perpetrators. Stabler is placed on administrative leave while they investigate the shooting. In the meantime, Meloni decides to leave the show. The writers cover up this unexpected turn of events in the first episode the following season.Stabler is said to have retired from the NYPD rather than following through with the mandated counseling needed to get his badge and gun back.
Ten seasons later, however, he reappears in “Return of the Prodigal Son” (Season 22). Viewers learn that while Stabler could not take the pressure of SVU, he eventually returns law enforcement in a unit investigating organized crime. This provides of the background for Law & Order Organized Crime, which debuted in 2021.
This same first season episode, predicts a very different path for Benson. While watching her session with the psychologist, viewers are likely to suspect that she is in danger of staying too long in a job that eventually gets to most people. The psychologist asks,
“Say you can’t be a sex crimes detective anymore, what would you be?”
Benson sits in silence, but her eyes say it all—there is nothing else she would do.
25 Years Later…
The vernacular and fashion have changed. Technological developments have led to new methods of sexual exploitation and violation. We still live in a world that blames victims of sexual crimes in a way that is not seen with other offenses. Challenges in investigating these crimes and achieving justice still exist. Law & Order SVU demonstrates these developments, while simultaneously reminding viewers that not much has changed.
During the first season of Law & Order SVU, viewers get insight into the process of rape investigations and the impact it has on the victims in a powerful and emotional episode (“Closure Part 1”). Tracy Pollan plays a rape victim, who is unable to identify her attacker in a lineup. Not only does the attack change her forever, so too does the process of “justice.”
Jump to season 12. By now the way rape victims are treated is common knowledge, so this issue no longer needs to be front and center. The typical viewer will assume this is the case. There is a new issue—the backlog of the forensic testing of rape evidence kits is halting the course of justice. Law & Order SVU brings this to the attention of its viewers. In “Behave” the case of a serial rapist is complicated by forensic evidence that has been misplaced, mishandled, and purposely destroyed.
Over the years, great detectives and district attorneys have come and gone. A friend of mine will never get over the departure of Raúl Esparza, who played District Attorney Rafael Barba. Luckily, she can rewatch those episodes whenever she wants. All the while Olivia Benson has remained and is now in charge of the unit. She continues to be a passionate detective, whose empathy and fight for victims matches no other.
When writing a piece about teen girl detectives, I found that one of the things these characters have in common is that they have experienced a tragedy in their lives. For example, Veronica Mars was a victim of drug-induced rape. Experiences such as this one, enable them to handle other people’s tragedies. It also serves as their driving force for fighting for justice.
Benson is no different. During the first season viewers learn that Benson’s mother became pregnant with her after being raped. This caused trauma not only in her mother’s life, but also for Benson during childhood. This part of her backstory helps explain her determination and tenacity when investigating these crimes and why she cannot imagine doing anything else.
Benson’s role as a detective gives her power, but it does not protect her from becoming a victim herself. As the show develops, she becomes a victim of sexual assault and in one of Benson’s most significant turning points, she is kidnapped and held hostage by a serial rapist. These events shape her evolution.
Benson is both a victim and a crime fighter. This backstory makes her relatable to the audience, creating a different type of connection to this specific crime drama. As Ice-T told People Magazine:
“‘…I found out that SVU is as much entertainment as it is therapy for a lot of women because a lot of women that watch the show are survivors — guys too. So it has a different feeling versus just normal entertainment.’”
There is also a thin line between Benson and Hargitay. Earlier this year a little girl looking for her mom approached Hargitay for help while she was on set thinking she was a real police officer. But it is Hargitay’s advocacy work that truly blurs the line between the fictional character and the actress. Even off set, she is likely to be mistaken for Benson as she uses her voice to advocate for victims. Just watch her in the 2018 documentary I am Evidence, for which she also served as an executive producer.
There are many more observations that I could make about the legacy of Law & Order SVU and its continuing popularity, but we have dinner reservations and my husband told me I have one minute to finish. So, I will save these thoughts for another time or maybe for a book.