Created by Emmy Award-winning Producer Dick Wolf, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," now in its 21st season, makes television history as the longest-running primetime live-action series of all time.

This hard-hitting and emotional series from NBC's "Law & Order" brand chronicles the lives of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate crimes of sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence.

As acting commander of the SVU, Lieutenant Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) is a seasoned veteran of the unit who has seen it all. She leads with empathy and professionalism, all the while dealing with her difficult past as a product of rape and her future as mother to a young child - both of which influence the way she relates to the victims and perpetrators of each case. Benson is now the longest-running female character in a primetime live-action series.

Hargitay has garnered eight Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, winning in 2006. She received two Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama, winning the award in 2005, and six SAG nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. She has won four Gracie Allen Awards for Outstanding Female Lead, in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2017. In 2018, she received the Crystal Nymph Award at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival and won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Drama TV Star. In 2013, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

As Benson's second-in-command, Sergeant Odafin "Fin" Tutuola (Ice T) adds a unique sense of humor and undercover investigative experience, making him a formidable match for any partner. Detective Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) has earned her place as an integral part of the team while facing head-on the emotional toll it takes to work SVU, and Detective Dominick "Sonny" Carisi (Peter Scanavino) brings a fresh outlook and distinctive style of investigation to the squad.
"SVU" is frequently acknowledged for its guest players, with Emmy wins for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Ann-Margret (2010), Ellen Burstyn (2009), Cynthia Nixon (2008), Leslie Caron (2007) and Amanda Plummer (2005), and nominations for such renowned talent as Brenda Blethyn, Carol Burnett, Robin Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Angela Lansbury, Marlee Matlin, Mare Winningham, Barbara Barrie, Martha Plimpton, Jane Alexander and Tracy Pollan.

"SVU" won the Imagen Foundation Award in 2015 for Best Primetime Program, recognizing the positive portrayal of Latinos in media. The series was honored with the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2012. Fourteen episodes of "SVU" have been nominated for the PRISM Award and six have won, recognizing their accurate depiction of substance abuse and mental illness. Four episodes have been nominated by the GLAAD Media Awards for outstanding representation of the LGBTQ community, and the show was honored with 11 Edgar Allan Poe Award nominations and two wins for Best Episode in a TV Series.

The "Law & Order" brand has tremendous global appeal and, to date, "SVU" has been sold to more than 250 territories around the world.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is a Wolf Entertainment production in association with Universal Television. Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer. Warren Leight, Julie Martin, Mariska Hargitay, Norberto Barba, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.

CREDITS

Day & Time
Thursdays at 10/9c

21st Season Premiere
Thursday, September 26, 2019

Series Premiere
September 20, 1999

Starring
Mariska Hargitay, Ice T, Kelli Giddish, Peter Scanavino

Created By
Dick Wolf

Executive Producers
Dick Wolf, Warren Leight, Julie Martin, Mariska Hargitay, Norberto Barba, Arthur Forney, Peter Jankowski

Co-Executive Producer
David Brownfield

Produced By
Kenneth Brown

Supervising Producers
Mark Dragin, Brianna Yellen

Producer
Michael Ciliento

Co-Producer
Jonathan Strauss

Director of Photography
Michael Green

Editors
Karen Stern, Leon Ortiz-Gil, Oscar Lozoya

Production Designer
Dean Taucher

Casting Directors
Jonathan Strauss, Philip Huffman

Music Composer
Mike Post

Origination
New York

Produced By
Wolf Entertainment in association with Universal Television

Episodes Photo Galleries: Season 5