Law & Order : Special Victims Unit - Wikipedia Law & Order : Special Victims Unit For the current season, see Law & Order : Special Victims Unit ( season 19 ). Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Also known as Law & Order : SVU SVU Genre Police procedural Legal drama Thriller Created by Dick Wolf Starring Christopher Meloni Mariska Hargitay Richard Belzer Dann Florek Michelle Hurd Stephanie March Ice - T B.D. Wong Diane Neal Tamara Tunie Adam Beach Michaela McManus Danny Pino Kelli Giddish Raúl Esparza Peter Scanavino Philip Winchester Opening theme Theme of Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Composer ( s ) Mike Post Country of origin United States Original language ( s ) English No. of seasons 19 No. of episodes 427 ( list of episodes ) Production Executive producer ( s ) Dick Wolf Robert Palm ( season 1 ) David J. Burke ( season 2 ) Neal Baer ( seasons 2 -- 12 ) Ted Kotcheff ( seasons 2 -- 13 ) Peter Jankowski ( season 2 -- present ) Warren Leight ( seasons 13 -- 17 ) Michael Smith ( season 14 ) Julie Martin ( seasons 14 -- present ) Jonathan Starch ( season 15 -- present ) Arthur W. Forney ( season 17 -- present ) Rick Eid ( season 18 ) Mariska Hargitay ( season 18 -- present ) Michael Chernuchin ( season 19 -- present ) Running time 40 -- 44 minutes Production company ( s ) Wolf Films Studios USA ( 1999 -- 2002 ) ( seasons 1 - 3 ) Universal Television ( 2002 -- 04, 2011 -- present ) ( season 4 - present ) NBC Universal Television Studio ( 2004 -- 2007 ) ( seasons 6 - 9 ) Universal Media Studios ( 2007 -- 2011 ) ( seasons 9 - 12 ) Distributor NBCUniversal Television Distribution Release Original network NBC Picture format NTSC ( 480i ) HDTV 1080i Original release September 20, 1999 ( 1999 - 09 - 20 ) -- present Chronology Related shows Law & Order franchise External links Website Law & Order : Special Victims Unit ( often abbreviated to Law & Order : SVU or just SVU ) is an American police procedural, legal, crime drama television series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced. In the style of the original Law & Order, episodes are often `` ripped from the headlines '' or loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention. Created by Dick Wolf, the series premiered on NBC on September 20, 1999, as the second series in Wolf 's successful Law & Order franchise. Law & Order : Special Victims Unit has been nominated for and won numerous awards, including the 2006 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Mariska Hargitay, the first, and to date only, Emmy to be received by a regular on any Law & Order series. It is the current longest running scripted non-animated U.S. primetime TV series since the cancellation of the original Law & Order on May 24, 2010 and is the fourth - longest running scripted U.S. primetime TV series on a major broadcast network. Law & Order : Special Victims Unit originally centered almost exclusively on the detectives of the Special Victims Unit in a fictional version of the 16th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. As the series progressed, additional supporting characters were added as allies of the detectives in the New York County Manhattan District Attorney 's office ( known as advisers from the Sex Crimes Bureau ) and the Medical Examiner 's office. Certain episodes will go into detail about detectives ' personal lives and how they may or may not tie into the crimes dealt with during the show. Typical episodes follow the detectives and their colleagues as they investigate and prosecute sexually based offenses, child abuse, and crimes against the elderly. The show starred Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson for its first twelve seasons until the former left the cast, unable to come to an agreement on his contract. On May 12, 2017, the series was renewed for a nineteenth season, which premiered on September 27, 2017. As of March 21, 2018, Law & Order : Special Victims Unit has aired 427 original episodes. Contents 1 Production 1.1 History and development 1.1. 1 Executive producers 1.2 Filming 1.3 Broadcast history 1.4 Russian adaptation 2 Casting 2.1 Salaries 3 Cast and characters 4 Series overview 5 Episodes 6 Reception 6.1 U.S. television ratings 6.2 Awards and honors 7 Broadcast and streaming 7.1 Syndication 8 International broadcast 9 References 9.1 Notes 9.2 Bibliography 10 External links Production History and development The idea for Law & Order : Special. Victims Unit originated with the 1986 `` preppie murder '' case of Robert Chambers, who strangled Jennifer Levin, a woman he dated whom he later killed during what he claimed was consensual `` rough sex '' in Manhattan 's Central Park. The crime inspired Dick Wolf to write the story for the season one episode of Law & Order titled `` Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die ''. Even after writing the episode, however, the case continued to haunt Wolf, who wanted to go deeper into the psychology of crimes to examine the role of human sexuality. The original title of the show was Sex Crimes, reflecting the sexual nature of the crimes depicted on the show. Initially there was concern among the producers that, should Sex Crimes fail, identifying the new show with the Law & Order franchise could hurt the original show. Additionally, Ted Kotcheff wanted to create a new series that was not dependent upon the original series for success. Wolf felt, however, that it was important and commercially desirable to have `` Law & Order '' in the title, and he initially proposed the title of the show be Law & Order : Sex Crimes. Barry Diller, then head of Studios USA, was concerned about the title, however, and it was changed to Law & Order : Special Victims Unit to reflect the actual unit of the New York City Police Department ( NYPD ) that handles sexually based offenses that are especially heinous. The first episode, `` Payback '', premiered on NBC on September 20, 1999. Executive producers Executive producer Neal Baer left Law & Order : SVU as showrunner at the end of season twelve, after eleven years ( seasons 2 -- 12 ) on the show, in order to sign a three - year deal with CBS Studios. Baer was replaced by former Law & Order : Criminal Intent showrunner Warren Leight. In March 2015, it was announced that Warren Leight signed a three - year deal with Sony Pictures Television, that will allow him to work on SVU one more season, its seventeenth. Leight joined the show in season thirteen. It was announced on March 10, 2016 that original Law & Order veteran producer Rick Eid would take Leight 's place as showrunner starting in season 18. Creator Dick Wolf commented to The Hollywood Reporter, `` I 'm extremely pleased that Rick had decided to rejoin the family and hope that he will be here for years to come. '' During post-production of season 18, following the announcement that SVU was renewed for a nineteenth season, it was revealed that Rick Eid departed the series. He will be taking over another Dick Wolf / NBC series. Chicago P.D. It was announced on May 25, 2017 that original Law & Order and Law & Order : Criminal Intent showrunner Michael S. Chernuchin would be reprising his role starting on season nineteen. Chernuchin was also co-creator and executive producing showrunner of Chicago Justice, another Wolf - related show that was canceled by NBC at the end of the 2016 -- 17 TV season. Filming SVU shooting on location in Central Park at night Many exterior scenes of Law & Order : Special Victims Unit are filmed on location in New York City, Wolf 's hometown, throughout all five of New York City 's boroughs. As the NYPD encounters varied law enforcement challenges on a daily basis, the backdrop provides the writers a supply of ideal locations from which to choose. Fort Lee, New Jersey served as the filming location for Detective Elliot Stabler 's residence in Queens, New York. When searching for a place to film the interiors of the show, the producers found that there were no suitable studio spaces available in New York City. As a result, a space was chosen at NBC 's Central Archives building in nearby North Bergen, New Jersey, which had sat empty for some time, and featured air - conditioning, adequate parking, and 53,000 square feet ( 4,900 m ) of stage area. The Archives building was used for police station and courtroom scenes, with various other locations in Hudson County used for other scenes, such as a scene shot at the Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus in 2010. The production left New Jersey for New York in 2010, however, when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie suspended the tax credits for film and television production for the Fiscal Year 2011 to close budget gaps. The show moved into the studio space at Chelsea Piers that had been occupied by the original Law & Order series until its cancellation in May 2010. Broadcast history The show originally aired on Monday nights at 9 : 00 p.m. ET for the first nine episodes, from September 20 through November 29, 1999. It was then shifted to Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET on January 7, 2000, and remained in that time slot through the end of season four on May 16, 2003. Beginning with the season five premiere on September 23, 2003, SVU moved to Tuesday nights at 10 : 00 p.m. ET. NBC airs repeats on Saturday nights at varying times and previous episodes are shown on the USA Network on varying days in marathon blocks With the season eleven premiere on September 23, 2009, the series vacated its Tuesday 10 p.m. ET slot because NBC began a prime - time weeknight Jay Leno series. The new time slot became Wednesday nights at 9 : 00 p.m. ET on NBC, with CTV still airing SVU on Tuesdays at 10 : 00 in Canada. After the 2010 Winter Olympics on March 3, 2010, the time slot for SVU changed again to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET, where it stayed until the twelfth season. In the 12th season, SVU moved back to 9 : 00 p.m. to lead in the newest Law & Order spinoff, Law & Order : LA, until it was pulled from the network in January 2011 to be retooled. SVU moved back to 10 : 00 p.m. on January 12, 2011, until the end of the 13th season. With season 14, SVU moved back to 9 : 00 p.m. after a two - hour season premiere event on September 26, 2012, a position the show has held since. Russian adaptation In 2007, the Russian production company Studio 2B purchased the rights to create an adaptation of Law & Order : Special Victims Unit for Russian television. Titled Закон и порядок : отдел оперативных расследований ( Law & Order : Division of Field Investigation ), the series stars Alisa Bogart as Major Olga Bobrova. The series follows a unit of investigators in Moscow whose job is to investigate crimes of a sexual nature. The series airs on NTV and is produced by Pavel Korchagin, Felix Kleiman, and Edward Verzbovski and directed by Dmitry Brusnikin. The screenplays are written by Sergei Kuznvetsov, Elena Karavaeshnikova, and Maya Shapovalova. Casting Cast of Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Cast of seasons 4 -- 5 ( 2002 -- 04 ), from left : Ice - T, Richard Belzer, Mariska Hargitay, Dann Florek, Christopher Meloni, B.D. Wong, Stephanie March Cast of season 9 ( 2007 -- 08 ), from left : Diane Neal, Wong, Tamara Tunie, Meloni, Florek, Hargitay, Ice - T, Belzer, Adam Beach Cast of season 10 ( 2008 -- 09 ) from left : Michaela McManus, Wong, Tunie, Meloni, Hargitay, Florek, Belzer, Ice - T The cast of season 15 ( 2013 -- 2014 ) from left : Raúl Esparza, Florek, Danny Pino, Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Belzer, Ice - T The cast of seasons 17 -- 18 ( 2015 -- 2017 ). from left : Esparza, Giddish, Hargitay, Ice - T, Peter Scanavino Casting for the lead characters of Law & Order : Special Victims Unit occurred in the spring of 1999. Dick Wolf, along with officials from NBC and Studios USA were at the final auditions for the two leads at Rockefeller Center. The last round had been narrowed down to seven finalists. For the female lead, Detective Olivia Benson, actresses Samantha Mathis, Reiko Aylesworth, and Mariska Hargitay were being considered. For the male role, Detective Elliot Stabler, the finalists were Tim Matheson, John Slattery, Nick Chinlund, and Christopher Meloni. Hargitay and Meloni had auditioned in the final round together and, after the actors left, there was a moment of dead silence, after which Wolf blurted out, `` Oh well. There 's no doubt who we should choose -- Hargitay and Meloni. '' Wolf believed the duo had the perfect chemistry together from the first time he saw them together, and they ended up being his first choice. Garth Ancier, then head of NBC Entertainment, agreed, and the rest of the panel assembled began voicing their assent. The first actor to be cast for the show was Dann Florek. Florek had originated the character of Captain Don Cragen in the 1988 pilot for Law & Order and played the character for the first three seasons of the show until he was fired on the orders of network executives, who wanted to add female characters to the all - male primary cast. He maintained a friendly relationship with Wolf, however, and went on to direct three episodes of the original series as well as to occasionally guest star on the show. Shortly after Florek reprised his role for Exiled : A Law & Order Movie, he received a call to be on Sex Crimes. Initially reluctant, he eventually agreed to star on the show as Cragen on the assurance that he would not be asked to audition for the role. Shortly after the cancellation of Homicide : Life on the Street, Richard Belzer heard that Benjamin Bratt had left Law & Order. Belzer requested his manager to call Wolf and pitch the idea for Belzer 's character from Homicide, Detective John Munch, to become the new partner of Jerry Orbach 's character, Detective Lennie Briscoe, since they had previously teamed in three Homicide crossovers. Wolf loved the idea, but had already cast Jesse L. Martin as Briscoe 's new partner, Detective Ed Green. The idea was reconfigured, however, to have Munch on Law & Order : Special Victims Unit instead. Since the character of Munch was inspired by David Simon 's depiction of Detective Sergeant Jay Landsman and developed for Homicide by Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, the addition of Munch to the cast required the consent of all three. The appropriate agreements were reached and, while Fontana and Levinson agreed to waive their royalty rights, contracts with Simon required that he be paid royalties for any new show in which Munch is a main character ; as a result, Simon receives royalties every time Munch appears in an episode of the show. Dean Winters was cast as Munch 's partner, Brian Cassidy, at the insistence of Belzer. Belzer looked at Winters as a sort of little brother, and told Wolf, `` Well, I 'll do this new show of yours, SVU, only if you make Dean Winters my partner. '' Wolf did make Winters Belzer 's partner, but he was contractually obligated to his other show at the time, the HBO drama Oz. Since the role on Law & Order : Special Victims Unit was only initially meant to be a few episodes, Winters was forced to leave when it was time to film Oz again. Winters returned for the Season 13 finale, `` Rhodium Nights, '' reprising his role as Cassidy. He also appeared ( as Cassidy ) on the two - part Season 14 premiere `` Lost Reputation '' / `` Above Suspicion ''. He subsequently became a recurring character into season 15. The void left by Winters 's departure was filled for the remainder of the season by Michelle Hurd as Detective Monique Jeffries, a character who Wolf promised that, despite starting out as a minor character with one scene in the pilot, would eventually develop. Hurd left the show at the beginning of season two to join the cast of Leap Years. Munch 's permanent partner came in the form of rapper - turned - actor Ice - T, who had previously worked with Wolf on New York Undercover and Exiled. Ice - T originally agreed to do only four episodes of Law & Order : Special Victims Unit, but he quickly gained affection for the ensemble nature of the cast. He relocated to New York City before his four - episode contract was up and remained with the show as Munch 's permanent partner, Detective Odafin `` Fin '' Tutuola. Initially, the show focused exclusively on the policework of the detectives in the Special Victims Unit of the 16th precinct, with members of the District Attorney 's office occasionally appearing as guest roles crossing over from the original Law & Order. From season two onwards, the format was changed to be more faithful to the original Law & Order concept by including court cases. Stephanie March had little television experience before being cast on Law & Order : Special Victims Unit, nor did she watch much TV. Nevertheless, March was cast as Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot at the beginning of season two but still believed that, due to the grim nature of the series, it would be short - lived. She stayed with the series for three seasons, however, and left when she believed she had reached the natural conclusion of the character 's development. She would later reprise the character as a guest appearance in season six and as a regular character on the short - lived Wolf series, Conviction, where she was promised more to do. Diane Neal had previously guest starred on Law & Order : Special Victims Unit in season three before being cast as Cabot 's replacement, Casey Novak, in season five. Neal remained with the show through the end of season nine, after which she was replaced by Michaela McManus. March returned to the show in the tenth season ( after McManus ' departure from the cast ) when Neal Baer proposed Cabot receive a character arc to revitalize the second part of the season, which would continue through season eleven. Tamara Tunie was cast as medical examiner Melinda Warner in season two after working with Wolf previously on New York Undercover, Feds, and Law & Order. Warner was initially a recurring character but became a regular character in season seven, and Tunie was added to the opening credits at that time. When initially cast as Warner, Tunie was appearing as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns. From 2000 to 2007 ( and again briefly in 2009 ), she appeared on both series simultaneously. In 2002, she also appeared on the Fox espionage - themed drama series 24, in the recurring role of CTU Acting Director Alberta Green. B.D. Wong was asked to film four episodes as Dr. George Huang, a Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) forensic psychiatrist and criminal profiler on loan to the Special Victims Unit. After his four episodes, he was asked to stay on with the show. After he starred in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and guest starred as Detective Chester Lake in the eighth season, Wolf felt that Adam Beach would be a good addition to the cast and asked him to be a permanent member beginning with the ninth season. Although Beach felt the role was a `` dream role '', the character proved unpopular with fans who felt that he was designed to gradually write out either Richard Belzer or Ice - T. Feeling there were too many police characters on the show, Beach left the show after only one season. Michaela McManus was originally felt to be too young for the role of an Assistant District Attorney ( ADA ) before being cast as ADA Kim Greylek in the tenth season. McManus, months removed from a recurring role on One Tree Hill, remained with the series only half a season, however, before departing for unspecified reasons. Paula Patton joined the cast as ADA Mikka Von. She replaced Stephanie March. However, Patton dropped out after one episode to film Mission : Impossible -- Ghost Protocol, and was replaced by Melissa Sagemiller in the recurring role of ADA Gillian Hardwicke. Before the end of season twelve, Mariska Hargitay asked for a lighter workload. As a way of writing her out of certain episodes, a plan to have her character promoted to a supervisory role was discussed. At the end of season twelve, Christopher Meloni departed the cast, unable to come to terms with his contract. Warren Leight became the new showrunner during this same year and signed on before he knew that Meloni would be leaving the cast. The second major departure to be announced in 2011 was that of B. D. Wong. On July 17, Wong announced on Twitter that, `` I actually do not return for season 13, I am jumping to Awake ! It 's awesome ! '' Wong added, `` I do n't know if or when I 'll be back on SVU ! It was amazing to have such a cool job for 11 years and to be a real NY Actor. '' Wong reprised his role as Dr. Huang in season 13 's episode `` Father Dearest ''. In response to these departures, two new main actors were hired, and several changes were made to the recurring cast. In June 2011, it was announced that Kelli Giddish and Danny Pino would join the cast as new series regulars. Weeks later, it was announced that Stephanie March and Diane Neal would be reprising their roles as ADA Alexandra Cabot and ADA Casey Novak, respectively. The launch of season 13 was marked with a retooling of the show that Warren Leight referred to as `` SVU 2.0 ''. Changes that accompanied this included Tamara Tunie 's being bumped from the main cast to a guest starring role and recurring actor Joel de la Fuente 's not appearing for the first time since 2002. Of the latter change, Warren Leight said, `` those scenes ( which featured Fuente ) can be dry '' and hired Gilbert Gottfried as a more comedic replacement. In addition to these changes, Linus Roache became a recurring cast member in his role of Michael Cutter, whom he played on Law & Order ; on SVU former Executive ADA Cutter serves as the Bureau Chief for ADAs attached to the Special Victims Unit. In season 14, Raúl Esparza joined the cast in a recurring capacity as ADA Rafael Barba and prior to the season 15 premiere, Esparza was promoted to a series regular. Also in season 15, Belzer departed the cast in the fifth episode, `` Wonderland Story '', in which Sgt. Munch retired from the NYPD and took a job in the DA 's office as an investigator. Later in the season, Captain Cragen announced his departure from the NYPD, which made newly promoted Sgt. Benson the temporary squad commander. In leaving the cast, Florek ended a 400 - episode run as Captain Cragen. In season 16, Peter Scanavino joined the series, first in a recurring role for episodes 1 -- 3 and then was promoted to the main cast in episode 5, with Kelli Giddish, Danny Pino, Ice - T and Raúl Esparza no longer appearing in every episode. On May 20, 2015, it was revealed that Danny Pino would be leaving the cast after the season 16 finale `` Surrendering Noah ''. In August 2017, it was announced that Philip Winchester will recur in season 19 as ADA Peter Stone, his character from Chicago P.D. and Chicago Justice, who is the son of Benjamin Stone, the ADA on the original Law & Order show. It was later also announced that Brooke Shields was enlisted to assume a major recurring role starting in Season 19 of the long - running dramatic series. On February 7, 2018, Raúl Esparza left the series after six seasons. Salaries By season twelve, both Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni had become among the highest - paid lead actors on a drama, with each earning nearly $400,000 per episode, a salary that TV Guide said was exceeded only by House 's Hugh Laurie. During season sixteen, Hargitay was reported to be earning $450,000 per episode, or $10,350,000 per season, In season seventeen, her salary increased to $500,000 per episode. Cast and characters Main article : List of Law & Order : Special Victims Unit characters Cast Character Rank / Position Seasons Notes Regular Recurring Guest Christopher Meloni Elliot Stabler Detective 1 -- 12 Mariska Hargitay Olivia Benson Lieutenant 1 -- Richard Belzer John Munch DA Investigator 1 -- 15 15, 17 Dann Florek Donald Cragen Captain 1 -- 15 16 Michelle Hurd Monique Jeffries Detective 1 -- 2 Stephanie March Alexandra Cabot Assistant District Attorney 2 -- 5, 11 2, 10, 13 6, 19 Ice - T Odafin `` Fin '' Tutuola Sergeant / Detective 2 -- Tamara Tunie Melinda Warner Medical Examiner 7 -- 12 2 -- 6, 13 -- 17 19 B.D. Wong George Huang FBI Special Agent 4 -- 12 2 -- 3 13 -- 15, 17 Diane Neal Casey Novak Senior Assistant District Attorney 5 -- 9 13 12 Adam Beach Chester Lake Detective 9 8 Michaela McManus Kim Greylek Assistant District Attorney 10 Danny Pino Nick Amaro Detective 13 -- 16 Kelli Giddish Amanda Rollins Detective 13 -- Raúl Esparza Rafael Barba Assistant District Attorney 15 -- 19 14 Peter Scanavino Dominick Carisi Jr. Detective 16 -- 16 Philip Winchester Peter Stone Assistant District Attorney 19 -- 19 Positions Jump up ^ Olivia Benson was previously a Detective ( seasons 1 -- 15 ) and a Sergeant ( seasons 15 -- 17 ) Jump up ^ John Munch was previously a Detective ( seasons 1 -- 8 ) and a Sergeant ( seasons 9 -- 15 ) ; the character, played by Belzer, first appeared on Homicide : Life on the Street ( 1993 - 99 ) Jump up ^ Captain Donald Cragen was the commanding officer of the unit until his retirement ( seasons 1 -- 15 ) ; the character, played by Florek, first appeared in the first three seasons of Law & Order ( 1990 - 93 ) Jump up ^ George Huang was the unit 's forensic psychiatrist and criminal profiler until his retirement ( seasons 1 -- 15 ) Appearances Jump up ^ Christopher Meloni was first billed as `` starring '' during seasons 1 -- 12. Jump up ^ Mariska Hargitay has been first billed as `` starring '' since season 13 ; she was previously second billed after Meloni. Jump up ^ Philip Winchester originally starred as Peter Stone on Chicago Justice, in addition to guest appearances on Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med ; the character joins SVU in the episode `` The Undiscovered Country ''. Series overview 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. -- Opening narration spoken by Steven Zirnkilton Based out of the New York City Police Department 's 16th precinct in Manhattan, Law & Order : Special Victims Unit delves into the dark side of the New York underworld as the detectives of a new elite force, the Special Victims Unit ( SVU for short ), investigate and prosecute various sexually - oriented crimes including rape, pedophilia, and domestic violence. They also investigate the abuses of children, the disabled and elderly victims of non-sexual crimes who require specialist handling. All the while trying to balance the effects of the investigation on their own lives. Its stories also touch on the political and societal issues associated with gender identity, sexual preferences, and equality rights. While the victim is often murdered, this is not always the case, and victims frequently play prominent roles in episodes. The unit also works with the Manhattan District Attorney 's office as they prosecute cases and seek justice for SVU 's victims and survivors with precision and a passion to win and bring closure to the intense investigations. The series often uses stories that are `` ripped from the headlines '' or based on real crimes. Such episodes take a real crime and fictionalize it by changing some details. Originally the show focused around the detective pairings of Elliot Stabler & Olivia Benson and John Munch & Brian Cassidy. Stabler is a seasoned veteran of the unit who has seen it all and tries his best to protect his family from the horrors he sees every day. His partner Benson 's difficult past as the child of a rape victim is the reason she joined the unit. Backing them up is John Munch, and his first partner Brian Cassidy. Munch is a transfer from Baltimore 's homicide unit, who brings his acerbic wit, conspiracy theories, and street - honed investigative skills. Whilst Cassidy is young and eager to learn from his fellow detectives. These two detective teams received support from Detectives Monique Jeffries and Ken Briscoe. When Cassidy transferred to Narcotics after thirteen episodes, Jeffries was partnered with Munch for the remaining of Season One and Briscoe was phased out. In the beginning of season two, Munch was then permanently partnered with Detective Odafin `` Fin '' Tutuola, whose unique yet sometimes vulgar sense of humor and investigative experience make him a formidable match for Munch. These detectives were supervised by veteran Captain Donald Cragen who oversaw the team from seasons 1 -- 15. Cragen 's tough - but - supportive approach to the team 's complex cases guides the squad through the challenges they face every day. Also on the team 's payroll is FBI Special Agent Dr. George Huang and Medical Examiner Dr. Melinda Warner. As the resident psychiatrist for the Special Victims Unit, Huang helps keep the officers sane in a field that could drive ordinary people mad. He has also served as the squad 's resident criminal profiler, and his insights into the criminal mind have often helped the officers to crack the toughest perps, whilst Warner has become an integral part of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit, and her personal skills have contributed to the unit 's high success rate in closing cases. The Unit did not receive a full - time assistant district attorney until season two, when Alexandra Cabot was assigned to work with the detectives. After Cabot 's departure in season five, she was replaced by Casey Novak, who remained as the ADA until the end of season nine. Kim Greylek became the permanent ADA in the season ten premiere, until Cabot made a return midway through that season when Greylek departed. Cabot remained the ADA through the second half of season eleven. After Cabot 's departure, the ADA void was filled by Sonya Paxton ( Christine Lahti ) and Jo Marlowe ( Sharon Stone ) until the conclusion of season eleven. Gillian Hardwicke served as the SVU ADA during season twelve. In season thirteen, both Cabot and Novak returned as ADAs. From the beginning of season fourteen, ADA Rafael Barba had been SVU 's prosecutor, until leaving halfway through season nineteen. Chicago Justice 's Peter Stone became SVU 's ADA after Chicago Justice was cancelled after only one season. In season 13 other big changes happened when Stabler left in the season twelve finale. Detectives Nick Amaro and Amanda Rollins joined the team filling the void left by Stabler. Amaro brings empathy to his cases while dealing with a stressful home life, whilst Rollins ' dogged persistence and instincts help her close cases, but her secrets could derail her career. In the current seasons the Manhattan SVU is now run by Lieutenant Olivia Benson. Episodes Main article : List of Law & Order : Special Victims Unit episodes Law & Order : Special Victims Unit has concluded its eighteenth season and has started its nineteenth season. Each season has aired on NBC and consists of 19 to 25 episodes, each lasting approximately forty minutes ( sixty minutes including commercials ). Season Episodes Originally aired Nielsen ratings First aired Last aired Rank Rating 22 September 20, 1999 ( 1999 - 09 - 20 ) May 19, 2000 ( 2000 - 05 - 19 ) 30 8.8 21 October 20, 2000 ( 2000 - 10 - 20 ) May 11, 2001 ( 2001 - 05 - 11 ) 25 9.6 23 September 28, 2001 ( 2001 - 09 - 28 ) May 17, 2002 ( 2002 - 05 - 17 ) 12 10.4 25 September 27, 2002 ( 2002 - 09 - 27 ) May 16, 2003 ( 2003 - 05 - 16 ) 14 10.1 5 25 September 23, 2003 ( 2003 - 09 - 23 ) May 18, 2004 ( 2004 - 05 - 18 ) 18 8.7 6 23 September 21, 2004 ( 2004 - 09 - 21 ) May 24, 2005 ( 2005 - 05 - 24 ) 16 9.2 7 22 September 20, 2005 ( 2005 - 09 - 20 ) May 16, 2006 ( 2006 - 05 - 16 ) 18 9.2 8 22 September 19, 2006 ( 2006 - 09 - 19 ) May 22, 2007 ( 2007 - 05 - 22 ) 24 7.9 9 19 September 25, 2007 ( 2007 - 09 - 25 ) May 13, 2008 ( 2008 - 05 - 13 ) 22 7.6 10 22 September 23, 2008 ( 2008 - 09 - 23 ) June 2, 2009 ( 2009 - 06 - 02 ) 26 6.7 11 24 September 23, 2009 ( 2009 - 09 - 23 ) May 19, 2010 ( 2010 - 05 - 19 ) N / A N / A 12 24 September 22, 2010 ( 2010 - 09 - 22 ) May 18, 2011 ( 2011 - 05 - 18 ) N / A N / A 13 23 September 21, 2011 ( 2011 - 09 - 21 ) May 23, 2012 ( 2012 - 05 - 23 ) N / A N / A 14 24 September 26, 2012 ( 2012 - 09 - 26 ) May 22, 2013 ( 2013 - 05 - 22 ) N / A N / A 15 24 September 25, 2013 ( 2013 - 09 - 25 ) May 21, 2014 ( 2014 - 05 - 21 ) N / A N / A 16 23 September 24, 2014 ( 2014 - 09 - 24 ) May 20, 2015 ( 2015 - 05 - 20 ) N / A N / A 17 23 September 23, 2015 ( 2015 - 09 - 23 ) May 25, 2016 ( 2016 - 05 - 25 ) N / A N / A 18 21 September 21, 2016 ( 2016 - 09 - 21 ) May 24, 2017 ( 2017 - 05 - 24 ) N / A N / A 19 24 September 27, 2017 ( 2017 - 09 - 27 ) May 23, 2018 ( 2018 - 05 - 23 ) TBA TBA Jump up ^ Tied with The CBS Wednesday Movie Jump up ^ Tied with 60 Minutes Jump up ^ Tied with Lost and CSI : NY Jump up ^ Tied with Brothers & Sisters, CSI : NY and Heroes Jump up ^ Tied with ER and Bones Reception U.S. television Ratings Law & Order : Special Victims Unit premiered on Monday, September 20, 1999. After nine episodes, the show was moved to Friday nights, where it found its audience and following its first and second seasons became a Top 20 - overall show, overcoming the `` Friday night death slot '' phenomenon. Beginning with the season five, the show aired on Tuesdays to compete with CBS ' Judging Amy and ABC 's NYPD Blue. In its later years, Law & Order : Special Victims Unit consistently outperformed Law & Order in the Nielsen ratings for first run episodes until the latter 's cancellation in 2010. In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that SVU 's popularity was `` atypical : generally slightly more popular in rural areas and the Black Belt, but largely restricted to the eastern half of the country. It 's most popular in Albany, N.Y. ; least in Colorado and Utah ''. Note : Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May ( with the exception of the second and tenth season ), which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. Season Time slot ( ET ) Episodes First aired Last aired TV season Rank Viewers ( in millions ) Date Viewers ( in millions ) Date Viewers ( in millions ) Monday 9 : 00 pm ( Episodes 1 -- 9 ) Friday 10 : 00 pm ( Episodes 10 -- 22 ) 22 September 20, 1999 ( 1999 - 09 - 20 ) 18.43 May 19, 2000 ( 2000 - 05 - 19 ) 15.11 1999 -- 2000 No. 33 12.18 Friday 10 : 00 pm 21 October 20, 2000 ( 2000 - 10 - 20 ) 13.20 May 11, 2001 ( 2001 - 05 - 11 ) 15.06 2000 -- 01 No. 29 13.1 23 September 28, 2001 ( 2001 - 09 - 28 ) 15.80 May 17, 2002 ( 2002 - 05 - 17 ) 14.27 2001 -- 02 No. 14 15.2 25 September 27, 2002 ( 2002 - 09 - 27 ) 15.60 May 16, 2003 ( 2003 - 05 - 16 ) 13.70 2002 -- 03 No. 16 14.83 5 Tuesday 10 : 00 pm 25 September 23, 2003 ( 2003 - 09 - 23 ) 13.23 May 18, 2004 ( 2004 - 05 - 18 ) 18.36 2003 -- 04 No. 21 12.72 6 23 September 21, 2004 ( 2004 - 09 - 21 ) 14.20 May 21, 2005 ( 2005 - 05 - 21 ) 16.38 2004 -- 05 No. 23 13.46 7 22 September 20, 2005 ( 2005 - 09 - 20 ) 15.32 May 16, 2006 ( 2006 - 05 - 16 ) 12.97 2005 -- 06 No. 24 13.78 8 22 September 19, 2006 ( 2006 - 09 - 19 ) 14.55 May 22, 2007 ( 2007 - 05 - 22 ) 10.28 2006 -- 07 No. 38 11.94 9 19 September 25, 2007 ( 2007 - 09 - 25 ) 12.10 May 13, 2008 ( 2008 - 05 - 13 ) 10.83 2007 -- 08 No. 30 11.33 10 22 September 23, 2008 ( 2008 - 09 - 23 ) 9.52 June 2, 2009 ( 2009 - 06 - 02 ) 11.34 2008 -- 09 No. 39 10.11 11 Wednesday 9 : 00 pm 24 September 23, 2009 ( 2009 - 09 - 23 ) 8.36 May 19, 2010 ( 2010 - 05 - 19 ) 8.61 2009 -- 10 No. 44 8.81 12 24 September 22, 2010 ( 2010 - 09 - 22 ) 9.68 May 18, 2011 ( 2011 - 05 - 18 ) 8.98 2010 -- 11 No. 47 8.84 13 Wednesday 10 : 00 pm 23 September 21, 2011 ( 2011 - 09 - 21 ) 7.63 May 23, 2012 ( 2012 - 05 - 23 ) 7.16 2011 -- 12 No. 67 7.59 14 Wednesday 9 : 00 pm 24 September 26, 2012 ( 2012 - 09 - 26 ) 7.19 May 22, 2013 ( 2013 - 05 - 22 ) 6.66 2012 -- 13 No. 56 7.30 15 24 September 25, 2013 ( 2013 - 09 - 25 ) 9.58 May 21, 2014 ( 2014 - 05 - 21 ) 6.39 2013 -- 14 No. 46 8.18 16 23 September 24, 2014 ( 2014 - 09 - 24 ) 10.07 May 20, 2015 ( 2015 - 05 - 20 ) 6.96 2014 -- 15 No. 52 8.71 17 23 September 23, 2015 ( 2015 - 09 - 23 ) 8.27 May 25, 2016 ( 2016 - 05 - 25 ) 7.19 2015 -- 16 No. 52 8.31 18 21 September 21, 2016 ( 2016 - 09 - 21 ) 7.83 May 24, 2017 ( 2017 - 05 - 24 ) 6.22 2016 -- 17 No. 48 7.39 19 24 September 27, 2017 ( 2017 - 09 - 27 ) 5.67 May 23, 2018 ( 2018 - 05 - 23 ) TBA 2017 - 18 TBA TBA Awards and honors Main article : List of awards and nominations received by Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Law & Order : Special Victims Unit has received many awards and award nominations. Mariska Hargitay has twice been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won once in 2005. The show has been nominated numerous times for the Emmy Award. Mariska Hargitay has been nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category 8 years in a row beginning in 2004 and won the Emmy in 2006. Christopher Meloni was nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category in 2006. Robin Williams was nominated in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2008. The series was nominated in the category Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Jane Alexander and Tracy Pollan in 2000, Martha Plimpton in 2002, Barbara Barrie in 2003, Mare Winningham and Marlee Matlin in 2004, Amanda Plummer and Angela Lansbury in 2005, Marcia Gay Harden and Leslie Caron in 2007, Cynthia Nixon in 2008, Ellen Burstyn, Brenda Blethyn, and Carol Burnett in 2009, and Ann - Margret in 2010. The series won the award for Plummer in 2005, Caron in 2007, Nixon in 2008, Burstyn in 2009, and Margret in 2010. Broadcast and streaming Law and Order SVU airs on NBC in the United States. All seasons, including the season that is currently on the air, are available to stream on Hulu ( with a subscription ). The latest 5 episodes can be watched for free on NBC.com and the NBC app. Outside of SVOD and NBC platforms, all episodes can be found on electronic sell - through platforms such as iTunes and Amazon Video. The show airs every Thursday night, on Network Ten in Australia, with a new episode usually followed by a repeat and occasionally shows repeats on other nights. Ten 's digital channel One sometimes shows Seasons One - Three on Friday or Saturday nights, but is not currently airing these seasons at the moment. From the 29th of August 2017, Channel Nine started airing the first season at a late night slot, which it has also done with the original Law & Order but stopped after the first episode. The first season later moved to Nine 's sister channel Gem on Sunday nights as of February 25, 2018 at 9 : 10pm with double episodes, and later reairing them in the early hours of Monday morning. Season 19 premiered on Network Ten on October 5, 2017 at 9 : 40pm. Syndication As of September 2017, the show is currently rerun on fellow NBCUniversal network USA Network, as well as Ion Television and local stations. The show also briefly ran on Syfy in 2006. International broadcast In Australia, Law & Order : SVU airs on Network Ten and Australia 's cable channel Universal Channel ( formerly aired on TV1 which ceased to broadcast in December 2013 ). In the UK `` Law & Order : SVU '' originally aired on the Hallmark Channel ( which in 2012 became the Universal Channel ) with a terrestrial TV airing on Channel 5 in 2016 which then switched to Five USA. The UK is two and half weeks behind the US. In Brazil, Law & Order : SVU also airs on Universal Channel, with weekdays episodes from past seasons and simultaneously, two episodes after the original airing in the US. Law & Order : SVU is broadcast at 9.30 pm on Tuesdays on TV3 in New Zealand. Series 18 premiered on 11 April 2017. References Notes Jump up ^ SVU Writers Room ( @ SVUWritersRoom ) ( 7 July 2016 ). `` First cast read - through of # SVUSeason18 '' ( Tweet ) -- via Twitter. Jump up ^ Special Victims Unit : The Beginning. Law & Order : Special Victims Unit : The First Year. Universal Studios. 2004. Jump up ^ Webb Mitovich, Matt ( May 24, 2011 ). `` Exclusive : Chris Meloni Exits Law & Order : SVU ''. TVLine. Retrieved May 24, 2011. Jump up ^ Ausiello, Michael ( August 1, 2011 ). `` NBC on Chris Meloni 's Law & Order : SVU Exit : We 're Not Killing Him Off ''. TVLine. Retrieved August 10, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Seidman, Robert. `` NBC Signs Kelli Giddish ( Chase ) and Danny Pino ( Cold Case ) as New Detectives for Law & Order : Special Victims Unit ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 27, 2011. Jump up ^ Otterson, Joe ( May 12, 2017 ). `` ' Law & Order : SVU ' Renewed for Season 19, Showrunner Rick Eid Exits for ' Chicago PD ' ''. Variety. Retrieved May 21, 2017. Jump up ^ `` NBC Announces Fall Premiere Dates for New 2017 - 18 Season ''. The Futon Critic. June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017. Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), p. 2 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 10 -- 11 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), p. 187 Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie ( November 23, 2010 ). `` ' Law & Order : SVU ' Show - runner Neal Baer Signs Big Overall Deal With CBS TV Studios ''. Deadline.com. Jump up ^ Ausiello, Michael ( April 11, 2011 ). `` Scoop : NBC Taps New Law & Order : SVU Boss ''. TVLine. Jump up ^ Littleton, Cynthia ( March 13, 2015 ). `` ' Law & Order : SVU ' Showrunner Warren Leight Sets Overall Deal with Sony TV ( EXCLUSIVE ) ''. Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2015. Jump up ^ Stanhope, Kate ( March 10, 2016 ). `` ' Law & Order : SVU ' Taps Flagship Series Vet as New Showrunner ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2016. Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie ( May 12, 2017 ). `` ' Law & Order : SVU ' Showrunner Rick Eid to Run ' Chicago P.D. ' Next Season ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017. Jump up ^ Otterson, Joe ( May 25, 2017 ). `` ' Law and Order : SVU ' Taps ' Chicago Justice ' EP Michael Chernuchin as New Showrunner ''. Deadline.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017. Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 2 -- 3 ^ Jump up to : Kimpton, Roger. `` Hollywood on the Palisades '' ; Palisade magazine ; Summer 2010 ; Pages 12 -- 15 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), p. 14 Jump up ^ Wright, E. Assata. `` Getting the film crews back to NJ '', The Union City Reporter, February 13, 2011, pages 5 and 7 Jump up ^ Ausiello, Michael ( May 14, 2010 ). `` It 's official : NBC cancels ' Law & Order ' ''. Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie ( June 25, 2010 ). `` ' Law & Order : SVU ' Leaves New Jersey Over Nixed Tax Credit & May Move Into ' L&O ' Set ''. Deadline. Mail.com Media. Retrieved June 25, 2010. Jump up ^ Mitovich, Matt. `` Fall TV : NBC Announces Premiere Dates ''. TV Guide. Retrieved June 25, 2009. Jump up ^ Hibberd, James ( January 10, 2010 ). `` NBC firms up post - ' Leno ' schedule ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Breaking News -- NBC Announces Updated Fall Schedule Premieres ''. The Futon Critic. July 30, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2012. Jump up ^ Stanhope, Kate ( January 18, 2011 ). `` NBC Benches Law & Order : Los Angeles Following Cast Shake - Up ''. TV Guide. Retrieved June 17, 2012. Jump up ^ Seidman, Robert ( November 15, 2010 ). `` NBC Renews ' 30 Rock ', Announces Parks & Rec Return & Major Midseason Schedule Changes ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 17, 2012. Jump up ^ Bibel, Sara ( June 14, 2012 ). `` NBC Announces Fall 2012 Premiere Dates for ' Grimm ', ' Revolution ', ' The Voice, ' ' Animal Practice ' & More ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 14, 2012. Jump up ^ Главная страница ( in Russian ). Retrieved December 14, 2009. Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), p. 11 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 145 -- 146 ^ Jump up to : Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), p. 13 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), p. 150 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), p. 157 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 154 -- 156 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 152 -- 154 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 167 -- 169 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 165 -- 166 Jump up ^ O'Connor, Mickey ( June 29, 2009 ). `` SVU News : Mariska and Meloni Are In For Season 11, and So Is Christine Lahti ''. TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2009. Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 172 -- 173 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 175 -- 176 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 160 -- 162 Jump up ^ Green and Dawn ( 2009 ), pp. 170 -- 171 Jump up ^ O'Connor, Mickey ( July 21, 2010 ). `` Precious Star Paula Patton Is Law & Order : SVU 's New ADA ''. TV Guide. Retrieved July 21, 2010. Jump up ^ Ausiello, Michael ( September 10, 2010 ). `` ' Law & Order : SVU ' scoop : ' Bar ' girl Melissa Sagemiller is new ADA ''. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 11, 2010. Retrieved September 11, 2010. Jump up ^ Rudolph, Ileane ( September 10, 2010 ). `` SVU Producer Neal Baer Explains ADA Shakeup ''. TV Guide. Retrieved September 11, 2010. Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie ( May 14, 2011 ). `` Law & Order : SVU Scoop : Hargitay Inks New Deal, Jennifer Love Hewitt May Succeed Her ''. TVLine. United States : TVLine Media, LLC ( Penske Media Corporation ). Retrieved May 14, 2011. Jump up ^ Porter, Rick ( May 24, 2012 ). `` ' Law & Order : SVU ' cliffhanger : EP Warren Leight on what 's next for Cragen and the squad ''. Zap2It. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012. Jump up ^ Mitovich, Matt ( July 17, 2011 ). `` Fall TV Scoop : B.D. Wong Reveals His SVU Fate ''. TVLine. United States : TVLine Media, LLC ( Penske Media Corporation ). Retrieved July 17, 2011. Jump up ^ Ausiello, Michael ( July 5, 2011 ). `` Law & Order : SVU Scoop : Stephanie March, Diane Neal Heading Back to Court ''. TVLine. United States : TVLine Media, LLC ( Penske Media Corporation ). Retrieved July 5, 2011. Jump up ^ Bryant, Adam ( September 1, 2011 ). `` Law & Order : SVU 's New Boss on Meloni 's Exit, the New Detectives and Rejuvenating the Show ''. TV Guide. New York City : NTVB Media ( magazine ) CBS Interactive ( CBS Corporation ) ( digital assets ). Retrieved June 6, 2012. Jump up ^ Keck, William ( October 26, 2011 ). `` Gilbert Gottfried to Annoy SVU Cast ''. TV Guide. New York City : NTVB Media ( magazine ) CBS Interactive ( CBS Corporation ) ( digital assets ). Retrieved June 21, 2012. Jump up ^ Kimberly Roots ( August 8, 2017 ). `` Law & Order SVU : Philip Winchester to Bring Chicago Justice Role to NY ''. TVLine. United States : TVLine Media, LLC ( Penske Media Corporation ). Retrieved August 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Laura Hurley ( August 11, 2017 ). `` Law & Order : SVU Season 19 Is Adding Brooke Shields For A Big Role ''. CinemaBlend. United States : Gateway Blend, LLC. Retrieved August 11, 2017. Jump up ^ Abrams, Natalie ( February 7, 2018 ). `` Raúl Esparza exits Law & Order : SVU after six seasons ''. Entertainment Weekly. New York City : Time Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2018. Jump up ^ Stephen Battaglio ( August 10, 2010 ). `` Who Are TV 's Top Earners ? ''. TV Guide. Retrieved September 4, 2010. Jump up ^ `` No. 2 : Mariska Hargitay -- pg. 4 Forbes ''. Forbes.com. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 17. Jump up ^ By : Garrett ( 2015 - 09 - 21 ). `` Per episode salaries of the highest paid TV actors of all time ''. theCHIVE. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Law & Order : Special Victims Unit on NBC - `` The Undiscovered Country '' ( # 1913 ) ``. The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 1, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Writer : Dick Wolf. Director : Jean de Segonzac ( September 20, 1999 ). `` Payback ''. Law & Order : Special Victims Unit. Season 1. Episode 1. NBC. Jump up ^ Conan, Neal ( September 29, 2009 ). `` ' Law & Order ' Writer Turns Headlines Into TV ''. Talk of the Nation. NPR. Retrieved December 14, 2009. Jump up ^ Writer : Michael R. Perry. Director : Constantine Makris ( February 11, 2000 ). `` Limitations ''. Law & Order : Special Victims Unit. Season 1. Episode 14. NBC. Jump up ^ Writers : Jeff Eckerle & David J. Burke. Director : Ted Kotcheff ( October 20, 2000 ). `` Wrong is Right ''. Law & Order : Special Victims Unit. Season 2. Episode 1. NBC. Jump up ^ Brooks, Tim ; Marsh, Earle ( 2007 ). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 - Present ( Ninth Edition ). Ballantine Books. p. 1695 - 1698. ISBN 978 - 0 - 345 - 49773 - 4. Jump up ^ Top Rated TV Programs By Season ( 2007 - Present ) Jump up ^ Robert B Cohen ( @ RobertBCohen ) ( 9 Jan 2018 ). `` This is great news. Of 24 SVU episodes this season, only 4 are scheduled to be directed by women. That must change. # TimesUp '' ( Tweet ) -- via Twitter. Jump up ^ `` Law & Order : Special Victims Unit on NBC ''. The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 2, 2018. Jump up ^ Katz, Josh ( 2016 - 12 - 27 ). `` ' Duck Dynasty ' vs. ' Modern Family ' : 50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ `` Law & Order : Special Victims Unit -- Series -- Episode List -- Season 1 ''. Spot Vault. June 9, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Law & Order : Special Victims Unit -- Series -- Episode List -- Season 1 ''. Spot Vault. July 7, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Top TV Shows For 1999 -- 2000 Season ''. Variety. Retrieved February 12, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Law & Order : Special Victims Unit -- Series -- Episode List -- Season 2 ''. TV Tango. Retrieved June 10, 2012. Jump up ^ `` SpotVault -- Law & Order : SVU ( NBC ) -- 2000 -- 01 ''. Spot Vault. December 9, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Bitter End ''. Entertainment Weekly Published in issue No. 598 June 1, 2001. June 1, 2001. Retrieved February 12, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Law & Order : Special Victims Unit -- Series -- Episode List -- Season 3 ''. TV Tango. Retrieved June 10, 2012. Jump up ^ `` SpotVault -- Law & Order : SVU ( NBC ) -- 2001 -- 02 ''. Spot Vault. December 9, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2012. Jump up ^ `` How did your favorite show rate ? ''. USA Today. May 28, 2002. Jump up ^ `` SpotVault -- Law & Order : SVU ( NBC ) -- 2002 -- 03 ''. Spot Vault. December 9, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Law & Order : Special Victims Unit -- Series -- Episode List -- Season 4 ''. TV Tango. Retrieved June 10, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Nielsen 's TOP 156 Shows for 2002 -- 03 Options ''. rec.arts.tv. Retrieved October 24, 2010. Jump up ^ `` SpotVault -- Law & Order : SVU ( NBC ) -- 2003 -- 04 ''. Spot Vault. December 9, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Weekly Program Rankings : 05 / 17 / 04 Through 05 / 23 / 04 ''. ABC Medianet. May 25, 2004. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` I.T.R.S. Ranking Report ''. ABC Television Network. June 2, 2004. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Jump up ^ `` Weekly Program Rankings : From 09 / 20 / 04 Through 09 / 26 / 04 ''. ABC Medianet. September 29, 2004. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Weekly Program Rankings : 05 / 23 / 05 Through 05 / 29 / 05 ''. ABC Medianet. June 1, 2005. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` ABC Television Network 2004 -- 2005 Primetime Ranking Report ''. ( June 1, 2005 ). ABC Medianet. Retrieved November 6, 2007. Archived April 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Weekly Program Rankings : From 09 / 26 / 05 Through 10 / 02 / 05 ''. ABC Medianet. October 4, 2005. 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Jump up ^ `` With Break - Out Performances from New and Returning Series, NBC Ties for Premiere Week 's Top Spot in 18 -- 49 ''. The Futon Critic / NBC. The Futon Critic / NBC. October 2, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2011. Jump up ^ Seidman, Robert ( May 14, 2008 ). `` Nielsen Ratings May 13, 2008 : American Idol Still Crushes Field ''. The Nielsen Company. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 7, 2010. Jump up ^ `` ABC Television Network 2007 -- 2008 Primetime Ranking Report ''. ( May 28, 2008 ). ABC Medianet. Retrieved July 3, 2009. Archived April 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Gorman, Bill ( September 24, 2008 ). `` Tuesday, Sept. 23 : Second Night Wins To CBS, ABC and Fox ''. The Nielsen Company. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 11, 2010. Jump up ^ Gorman, Bill ( June 3, 2009 ). `` Tuesday Ratings : NBC Wins Again Lead By Law & Order : SVU Finale, Obama Special ''. The Nielsen Company. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 11, 2010. Jump up ^ `` ABC Television Network 2008 -- 2009 Primetime Ranking Report ''. ( June 2, 2009 ). ABC Medianet. Retrieved August 29, 2013. Archived October 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Seidman, Robert ( September 24, 2009 ). `` Wednesday broadcast finals : Modern Family down a tenth, Cougar Town up a tenth with adults 18 -- 49 ''. The Nielsen Company. TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2010. Jump up ^ `` TV Ratings Wednesday : Good Guys Off To Bad Start ; Idol Down ''. The Nielsen Company. TV by the Numbers. May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Final 2009 -- 10 Broadcast Primetime Show Average Viewership ''. Tvbythenumbers.com. June 16, 2010. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010. Jump up ^ Seidman, Robert ( September 23, 2010 ). `` Wednesday Finals : ' The Middle, ' ' Modern Family, ' ' Cougar Town, ' ' Undercovers ' All See Small Gains ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 23, 2010. Jump up ^ Seidman, Robert ( May 19, 2011 ). `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' American Idol, ' ' Modern Family, ' ' Law & Order : SVU ' Adjusted Up ; ' Happy Endings ' Adj. Down ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 20, 2011. Jump up ^ Gorman, Bill ( June 1, 2011 ). `` 2010 -- 11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Viewership Averages ''. TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011. Jump up ^ Seidman, Robert ( September 22, 2011 ). `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' The X Factor, ' ' Modern Family, ' ' The Middle, ' ' Revenge ' And Others Adjusted Up ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 22, 2011. Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda ( May 24, 2012 ). `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' Idol ', ' Modern Family ', & ' SVU ' Adjusted Up, ' Apt 23 ' Adjusted Down ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 24, 2012. Jump up ^ Gorman, Bill ( May 24, 2012 ). `` Complete List Of 2011 -- 12 Season TV Show Viewership : ' Sunday Night Football ' Tops, Followed By ' American Idol, ' ' NCIS ' & ' Dancing With The Stars ' ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 25, 2012. Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda ( September 27, 2012 ). `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' X Factor ', ' Survivor ', ' The Middle ' Adjusted Up, ' The Neighbors ' Adjusted Down ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 27, 2012. Jump up ^ Bibel, Sara. `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' MasterChef ', ' Modern Family ', ' Criminal Minds ' & ' Law & Order : SVU ' Adjusted Up ; ' How To Live With Your Parents ' Adjusted Down ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 24, 2013. Jump up ^ Bibel, Sara ( May 29, 2013 ). `` Complete List Of 2012 -- 13 Season TV Show Viewership : ' Sunday Night Football ' Tops, Followed By ' NCIS, ' ' The Big Bang Theory ' & ' NCIS : Los Angeles ' ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 29, 2013. Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda ( September 26, 2013 ). `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' The Middle ', ' Modern Family ' and ' Survivor ' Adjusted Up ; ' Nashville ' & ' CSI ' Adjusted Down ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 26, 2013. Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda ( May 22, 2014 ). `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' Survivor ', ' The Middle ' & ' Modern Family ' Adjusted Up ; ' Survivor ' Reunion Adjusted Down ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 22, 2014. Jump up ^ Deadline Team, The ( May 23, 2014 ). `` Full 2013 -- 14 Series Rankings ''. Retrieved May 23, 2014. Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda ( September 25, 2014 ). `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' The Middle ', ' The Goldbergs ', ' Modern Family ', ' Law and Order : SVU ', & ' Red Band Society ' Adjusted Up ''. TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 27, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014. Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda ( May 21, 2015 ). `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' Survivor ', ' Survivor : Reunion ' & ' Modern Family ' Adjusted Up ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 21, 2015. Jump up ^ de Moraes, Lisa ( May 21, 2015 ). `` Full 2014 -- 15 TV Season Series Rankings : Football & ' Empire ' Ruled ''. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015. Jump up ^ Kondolojy, Amanda ( September 24, 2015 ). `` Wednesday Final Ratings : ' Survivor ', ' Modern Family ' & ' Law and Order : SVU ' Adjusted Up ; ' Nashville ' Adjusted Down ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 24, 2015. Jump up ^ Porter, Rick ( May 26, 2016 ). `` Wednesday final ratings : ' SVU ' finale adjusts up, ' Supernatural ' finale adjusts down ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 26, 2016. Jump up ^ de Moraes, Lisa ( May 29, 2016 ). `` Full 2015 -- 16 TV Season Series Rankings : ' Blindspot ', ' Life In Pieces ' & ' Quantico ' Lead Newcomers ''. Retrieved May 26, 2016. Jump up ^ Porter, Rick ( September 22, 2016 ). `` Wednesday final ratings : ' Empire ' adjusts up, ' Designated Survivor ' adjusts down ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 22, 2016. Jump up ^ Porter, Rick ( May 25, 2017 ). `` ' Empire ' finale and ' Dirty Dancing ' adjust up, ' Survivor ' reunion adjusts down : Wednesday final ratings ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Final 2016 - 17 TV Rankings : ' Sunday Night Football ' Winning Streak Continues ''. Deadline Hollywood. May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017. Jump up ^ Robert B Cohen ( @ RobertBCohen ) ( 9 Jan 2018 ). `` This is great news. Of 24 SVU episodes this season, only 4 are scheduled to be directed by women. That must change. # TimesUp '' ( Tweet ) -- via Twitter. Jump up ^ Porter, Rick ( September 28, 2017 ). `` ' Survivor ' premiere adjusts up : Wednesday final ratings ''. TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 28, 2017. Jump up ^ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/law-and-order-svu/listings/. Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^ `` Golden Globe Wins : Law & Order : Special Victims Unit ''. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2009. Jump up ^ `` SVU Emmy Nominations ''. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2012 - 12 - 27. Jump up ^ `` Watch Law & Order : SVU Videos, Highlights & Clips - NBC.com ''. NBC. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Download the NBC App for Phones, Tablets and Connected Devices ! ''. NBC. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Law & Order : SVU ( Special Victims Unit ), Season 16 on iTunes ''. iTunes. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Watch Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Season 1 Episode -- Amazon Video ''. www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 14. Bibliography Green, Susan ; Dawn, Randee ( 2009 ). Law & Order : Special Victims Unit : The Unofficial Companion. Dallas : BenBella Books. ISBN 1 - 933771 - 88 - 7. OCLC 429604907. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Law & Order : Special Victims Unit. Wikiquote has quotations related to : Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Official website on NBC Law & Order : Special Victims Unit on IMDb Law & Order : Special Victims Unit at TV.com `` List of Law & Order : SVU Episodes ''. TV Guide. Law & Order : Special Victims Unit on MyNetworkTV Law & Order franchise Series Law & Order ( 1990 -- 2010 ) Law & Order : Special Victims Unit ( 1999 -- present ) Law & Order : Criminal Intent ( 2001 -- 2011 ) Law & Order : Trial by Jury ( 2005 -- 2006 ) Law & Order : LA ( 2010 -- 2011 ) Law & Order True Crime ( 2017 -- present ) Adaptations Paris enquêtes criminelles ( 2007 -- 2008 ) Law & Order : UK ( 2009 -- 2014 ) Video games Law & Order : Dead on the Money Law & Order : Double or Nothing Law & Order : Justice Is Served Law & Order : Criminal Intent Law & Order : Legacies Related series Homicide : Life on the Street ( 1993 -- 1999 ) New York Undercover ( 1994 -- 1998 ) Arrest & Trial ( 2000 -- 2001 ) Deadline ( 2000 -- 2001 ) Crime & Punishment ( 2002 -- 2004 ) Conviction ( 2006 ) In Plain Sight ( 2008 -- 2012 ) Chicago franchise Chicago Fire ( 2012 -- present ) Chicago P.D. ( 2014 -- present ) Chicago Med ( 2015 -- present ) Chicago Justice ( 2017 ) Films Exiled : A Law & Order Movie ( 1998 ) Homicide : The Movie ( 2000 ) Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Characters Detectives Elliot Stabler Olivia Benson John Munch Monique Jeffries Fin Tutuola Chester Lake Nick Amaro Amanda Rollins Dominick Carisi Jr. Commanding officers Donald Cragen Olivia Benson Assistant District Attorneys Alexandra Cabot Casey Novak Kim Greylek Rafael Barba Doctors George Huang Melinda Warner Other characters Barry Moredock Brian Cassidy Elizabeth Donnelly Michael Cutter Sonya Paxton Jack McCoy Seasons Episodes Season 1 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Notable episodes `` Payback '' `` 911 '' `` Authority '' `` Cold '' `` Zebras '' `` Behave '' `` Smoked '' `` Scorched Earth '' `` Justice Denied '' `` Father Dearest '' `` Rhodium Nights '' `` Lost Reputation '' `` Above Suspicion '' `` Acceptable Loss '' `` Manhattan Vigil '' `` Comic Perversion '' `` Glasgowman 's Wrath '' `` Chicago Crossover '' See also Cast members Awards and nominations Law & Order franchise Chicago franchise Chicago Fire Characters Matthew Casey Kelly Severide Episodes Season 1 5 6 Chicago P.D. Characters Kim Burgess Antonio Dawson Erin Lindsay Hank Voight Episodes Season 1 5 Chicago Med Characters Episodes Season 1 Other Chicago Justice See also Law & Order franchise Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Crossovers `` Comic Perversion '' `` Chicago Crossover '' NBC programming ( current and upcoming ) Primetime American Ninja Warrior ( since 2011 ) America 's Got Talent ( since 2006 ) A.P. Bio ( since 2018 ) Better Late Than Never ( since 2016 ) The Blacklist ( since 2013 ) Blindspot ( since 2015 ) The Brave ( since 2017 ) Champions ( since 2018 ) Chicago Fire ( since 2012 ) Chicago Med ( since 2015 ) Chicago P.D. 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Question: when did law & order special victims unit start
Answer: September 20, 1999