One of the greatest television spin-offs ever, which has since become the de facto flagship series for the "Law & Order" franchise, is "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Commonly referred to simply as "Svu," the show focuses on police detectives investigating especially heinous crimes in and around New York City. Given the nature of their law enforcement specialization, the characters in "Svu" often face darker, more sexually oriented crimes than the other "Law & Order" shows. The series has gone on to become one of the longest-running scripted primetime television shows of all time, eventually exceeding its predecessor.

Running since 1999, "Svu" is an American television institution, and it has earned that distinction through excellently crafted characters and cases. Whether it's the fan-favorite duo of Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) or newer generations of detectives, "Svu" has maintained a steadily impressive level of quality. For those that are...