Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

A closer look at the story

Within the criminal justice system, sexual offences are regarded as among the most serious and abhorrent of all crimes. In the New York Police Department, the detectives charged with investigating them belong to an elite team called the Special Victims Unit. Dealing every day with victims seeking help, with cases that make the blood run cold and with files waiting to be closed, these detectives are wholly devoted to their work. But these dark cases do not stay within the boundaries of the job: while trying to bring offenders to justice, the members of the squad also struggle to manage the toll their work takes on their private lives. Created by Dick Wolf, the series has been broadcast on NBC since 1999 and is a long-running police drama featuring Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T.