Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
This series follows the Special Victims Unit, a specially trained squad of detectives in the New York City Police Department that investigate sexually related crimes.
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.
—
John Craig
Based out of the New York City Police Department's 16th precinct in Manhattan, Law and 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 may require special handling, all while trying to balance the effects of the investigation on their own personal 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 Sex Crimes Bureau 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.
This show delves into the dark side of the New York City underworld as the detectives of a new elite force, the Special Victims Unit, investigate and prosecute various sexually oriented crimes, while trying to balance the effects of the investigation on their own lives.
—
Brian Barjenbruch
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 may require special handling, all while trying to balance the effects of the investigation on their own personal 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 Sex Crimes Bureau 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 pairing of Elliot Stabler (played by
Christopher Meloni
) and Olivia Benson (played by
Mariska Hargitay
). 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.
The series also focused on the secondary detective pairing of John Munch (played by
Richard Belzer
) and Brian Cassidy (played by
Dean Winters
). Munch is a veteran of the job as a transfer from Baltimore's homicide unit, who brings his acerbic wit, conspiracy theories, and street-honed investigative skills whilst Cassidy is new to the job is young but eager to learn from his fellow detectives.
Both Benson/Stabler and Munch/Cassidy often received support from Detectives Monique Jeffries (played by
Michelle Hurd
) and Ken Briscoe (played by
Chris Orbach
). However, when Cassidy transferred to Narcotics after just thirteen episodes in, Jeffries was then partnered with Munch for the remainder of Season One and Briscoe was eventually phased out.
At the beginning of season two, Munch was then permanently partnered with Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola (played by
Ice-T
), whose unique yet sometimes vulgar sense of humor and investigative experience make him a formidable match for Munch.
In Season 13, there were big cast changes happening with Stabler having retired in the aftermath of the Season 12 finale, until he reappears in season 22, leading him to join NYPD's Organized Crime Control Bureau. Detectives Nick Amaro and Amanda Rollins joined the team filling the void left by Stabler. Amaro brought empathy to his cases while dealing with stressful home life, while Rollins had dogged persistence and instincts to help her close cases, but also secrets that could derail her career.
Season 16 was another period of change with the introduction of Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr (
Peter Scanavino
) at the beginning and leaving of Amaro at the end. Carisi brought a fresh outlook and distinctive style of investigation to the squad and was training to be a lawyer. Following Carisi's move to the DA's office in season 21, Vice Officer Katriona "Kat" Tamin (played by
Jamie Gray Hyder
) joined the team after assisting on several cases, eventually getting promoted to detective. At the start of season 23, Tamin and Garland both resign from the NYPD after becoming disillusioned with the system's failures and systematic bias within the department, with Tamin being replaced by Detective Joe Velasco (played by
Octavio Pisano
).
These detectives were supervised by veteran Captain Donald Cragen (played by
Dann Florek
) who oversaw the team for 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. During season 15, both Munch and Cragen retired from the NYPD, leaving Benson, after being promoted to Sergeant, to take control of the unit; she would later be promoted to Lieutenant at the start of season 17 and then Captain at the start of season 21. Also introduced in season 16 was Deputy Chief William Dodds (played by
Peter Gallagher
), who served as commanding officer for the Special Victims Units in all five boroughs of New York. Dodds also departed the series at the start of the season, allowing new deputy chief Christian Garland (played by
Demore Barnes
) to take his place. Dodds' son Mike (played by
Andy Karl
) transferred into Special Victims as Sergeant in season 17, becoming Benson's second-in-command until his death at the end of the season; Fin later passes the Sergeant's exam during season 18 and is officially promoted in Mike's place in season 19.
Also on the team's payroll is former FBI Special Agent Dr. George Huang (played by
BD Wong
) and Medical Examiner Dr. Melinda Warner (played by
Tamara Tunie
). From Season 4 Huang became 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, while 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. Huang and Warner would both depart at the end of season 12 after being reassigned to Oklahoma City, but has returned for occasional guest appearances.
The Special Victims Unit did not receive a full-time assistant district attorney until season two when Alexandra Cabot (played by
Stephanie March
) was assigned to work with the detectives. After Cabot's departure in season five, she was replaced by Casey Novak (played
Diane Neal
), who remained as the A.D.A. until the end of season nine. Kim Greylek (played by
Michaela McManus
) became the permanent A.D.A. in the season ten premiere until Cabot made a return midway through that season when Greylek departed. Cabot remained the A.D.A. through the second half of season eleven. After Cabot's departure, the A.D.A. void was filled by Sonya Paxton (played by
Christine Lahti
) and Jo Marlowe (played by
Sharon Stone
) until the conclusion of season eleven. Gillian Hardwicke (played by
Melissa Sagemiller
) 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 (played by
Raúl Esparza
) was SVU's prosecutor, until leaving halfway through season nineteen. Chicago Justice's Peter Stone (played by
Philip Winchester
) became SVU's ADA after
Chicago Justice (2017)
was canceled after only one season. In the season 21 premiere, Carisi eventually became the SVU's ADA after finally passing the bar and becoming a lawyer.
Belum ada Komentar untuk "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)"
Posting Komentar