Created by Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," now in its 20th season, is the longest-running primetime drama currently on television. 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, Lt. 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.

Hargitay has garnered eight Emmy Award nominations for Lead Actress in a Drama Series and won in 2006. She received two Golden Globe nominations for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, 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, and in 2018 received the Crystal Nymph Award at the Monte Carlo TV Festival. In 2013, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

As Benson's second-in-command, Sgt. Odafin "Fin" Tutuola (Ice T) adds a unique sense of humor and undercover investigative experience, making him a formidable match for any partner. Det. 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 Det. Dominick "Sonny" Carisi (Peter Scanavino) brings a fresh outlook and distinctive style of investigation to the squad. Assistant District Attorney Peter Stone (Philip Winchester) joins the SVU from Chicago's homicide division with a passion to learn from the best and honor his father's legacy.

"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.

In 2015, "SVU" won the Imagen Foundation Award 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" were nominated for the Prism Award and six have won, recognizing those episodes' accurate depictions of substance abuse and mental illness. Three 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 Television episode.

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 Films production in association with Universal Television. Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer. Michael Chernuchin, Julie Martin, Mariska Hargitay, Alex Chapple, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.

Episodes available for purchase.

CREDITS

Day and Time
Thursdays at 10/9c

Season Premiere
September 27, 2018

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

Executive Producers
Dick Wolf, Michael Chernuchin, Julie Martin, Mariska Hargitay, Alex Chapple, Arthur Forney, Peter Jankowski

Co-Executive Producers
Richard Sweren, Lawrence Kaplow

Produced By
Kenneth Brown

Supervising Producer
Mark Dragin

Producers
Michael Ciliento, Allison Intrieri, Brianna Yellen

Co-producers
Céline C. Robinson, 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 Films in association with Universal Television

Episodes Photo Galleries: Season 5