451 reviews
At first I was hesitant to start watching this show. I am a survivor of rape and sexual assault, so I was afraid that this would be triggering for me. However it has actually been the opposite. Watching SVU has helped me heal and find closure with my past. I love that they are always actively combatting rape culture, and reminding that every one is worth a damn.
- soraya-ririe
- Jan 14, 2019
- Permalink
As a huge fan and follower of this show for many, many years, I had rated it 10/10, and never missed an episode. But this new season ever since Kelli Giddish left the show, it seems the casting and writing has left the building as well.
I'm not saying that Giddish made or broke the show, but it seems with her leaving, the writers and casting directors left with her, because most of the new characters are just not believable, or offer up any reason to relate or sympathize with them, and the writing has become stale, ridiculous and mostly boring.
We see much less of the regulars like Tutuola, except for Benson, who seems to be on a power-trip all of the time all of a sudden, and Carisi, who seems lost since his love interest left her position. All the new cast seem to be entangled in too many nonsense personal dramas, and are just not convincing in their roles.
For the first time, I look more forward to seeing L&O-OC instead of L&O-SVU, as they've upped their writing and the show has become more suspenseful. Thus I've dropped my rating to a 8/10. Hopefully the writing improves with the upcoming episodes and the new characters as this season progresses.
I'm not saying that Giddish made or broke the show, but it seems with her leaving, the writers and casting directors left with her, because most of the new characters are just not believable, or offer up any reason to relate or sympathize with them, and the writing has become stale, ridiculous and mostly boring.
We see much less of the regulars like Tutuola, except for Benson, who seems to be on a power-trip all of the time all of a sudden, and Carisi, who seems lost since his love interest left her position. All the new cast seem to be entangled in too many nonsense personal dramas, and are just not convincing in their roles.
For the first time, I look more forward to seeing L&O-OC instead of L&O-SVU, as they've upped their writing and the show has become more suspenseful. Thus I've dropped my rating to a 8/10. Hopefully the writing improves with the upcoming episodes and the new characters as this season progresses.
- Top_Dawg_Critic
- Mar 30, 2023
- Permalink
One of the better detective shows ever on television. The show is about a group of detectives who work in the Special Victims Unit and investigate sex related crimes. The SVU detectives are all dedicated and have their own stories and inner battles. Running for over 20 years is testament to the shows strength. It was far better during the first 10 - 12 years, as would be expected. The show has lost some steam, its edginess and changed direction somewhat over last several seasons. For the first 10 - 12 years of this show it was generally well balanced in its views. It focused closely on the detectives work and catching the criminal. For years now the detective work usually plays second fiddle to the show being self-righteous and making a political statement. But it is still worth watching now if you like detectives shows, just try to watch some episodes from the first 10 - 12 years.
The stories are usually well constructed and interesting. The theme most times is - a crime is committed, the detectives investigate and the case goes to court. The viewer gets taken through most steps of the crime, investigation and court case. The actual detective work portrayed is far from flawless, and often not the way real life detectives could or would work a case. There are often twists and turns in the story, some you see coming some you don't. The production, sets and acting is very good.
The best years of this show are the ones with the well balanced team of Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson. Stabler who is a force to be reckoned with but a bit of a loose cannon at times. With Benson as the deep thinker and more compassionate one. They were the stars of the show and a good team. They upheld the law and investigated the cases in a gritty and tough environment. There has always been a strong support cast and often a good guest star. The show has a cast members leaving and being replaced, which keeps the team dynamics fresh and interesting. With the absence of Detective Elliot Stabler during the latter years, the character of Detective Olivia Benson on-screen presence has grown noticeably. Its a shame as some of the other characters are well played and quite interesting, they should get more camera time without Olivia Bensons constant presence. Once a leading detective now Olivia Benson is the Captain of the unit, she is unlike the old captain who gave a few orders and some age old wisdom. Olivia Benson is very hands on and usually takes centre stage in virtually all of the stories with her brand of police work and leftist views on life. Mariska Hargitay became an executive producer of the show, which might explain the growth of the Olivia Benson character. The show has become more and more woke/left which affects the balance of the story telling. During the last several years of the show, its not too hard to guess who committed the crime, as more times than not, it is a nasty white guy, middle to upper class, 25 - 55 years old who is the perpetrator.
The stories are usually well constructed and interesting. The theme most times is - a crime is committed, the detectives investigate and the case goes to court. The viewer gets taken through most steps of the crime, investigation and court case. The actual detective work portrayed is far from flawless, and often not the way real life detectives could or would work a case. There are often twists and turns in the story, some you see coming some you don't. The production, sets and acting is very good.
The best years of this show are the ones with the well balanced team of Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson. Stabler who is a force to be reckoned with but a bit of a loose cannon at times. With Benson as the deep thinker and more compassionate one. They were the stars of the show and a good team. They upheld the law and investigated the cases in a gritty and tough environment. There has always been a strong support cast and often a good guest star. The show has a cast members leaving and being replaced, which keeps the team dynamics fresh and interesting. With the absence of Detective Elliot Stabler during the latter years, the character of Detective Olivia Benson on-screen presence has grown noticeably. Its a shame as some of the other characters are well played and quite interesting, they should get more camera time without Olivia Bensons constant presence. Once a leading detective now Olivia Benson is the Captain of the unit, she is unlike the old captain who gave a few orders and some age old wisdom. Olivia Benson is very hands on and usually takes centre stage in virtually all of the stories with her brand of police work and leftist views on life. Mariska Hargitay became an executive producer of the show, which might explain the growth of the Olivia Benson character. The show has become more and more woke/left which affects the balance of the story telling. During the last several years of the show, its not too hard to guess who committed the crime, as more times than not, it is a nasty white guy, middle to upper class, 25 - 55 years old who is the perpetrator.
- Bigweight66
- Aug 6, 2021
- Permalink
I love the SVU series. I'm watching every episode from the beginning. It helps me so much to think about something other than my cancer pain. So thank you for saving me from that!
- mmayfield-60707
- Aug 11, 2019
- Permalink
When I am communicating with other people interested in crime series it is remarkable how many people seem to watch either CSI or CSI: Miami or both. Rarely (actually never) have I heard talk about this show, unless I brought it up myself and ended up discussing it with them. Of course I do not know the situation in America and other countries regarding this show, but I feel it is very underrated in the Netherlands. Of course this has a lot to do with it's programming spot. While CSI is usually on Saturday's at 8:30 or 9:30 p.m. and CSI: Miami on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m., SVU's spot has been Sunday's around 11p.m. for quite some time now. That's hardly what I call a prime time spot. Just to compare I looked up the share's of those 3 shows on the internet. CSI has a share of 26 in the US and 17,5 in the Netherlands. For CSI:Miami these numbers are 15,0 and 13,2 and for SVU they are 17,0 and 7,7. This doesn't mean much, but once bring the number of households into it, it gets a lot clearer. CSI has about 18,6 million viewers in the US while CSI:Miami and SVU have 10,5 and 11,9 viewers respectively. In the Netherlands these figures are 1,175 million; 910 thousand and 370 thousand. This means that SVU has less than one-third of the viewers CSI has and MUCH less than half the viewers CSI: Miami has. In America SVU has two-thirds of the viewers of CSI and about 10% more than CSI:Miami. In my opinion this has a lot to do with the extremely bad programming spot SVU has gained in the Netherlands and the fact that the program is not advertised as vigorously as the two CSI's, for I feel it cannot have anything to do with it's quality.
The thing that makes SVU stand out so much in opinion, is that the stories depicted are very realistic and heart felt. I personally appreciate it very much, that there are no cheap attempts to make you cry by extending dramatic scenes or underscoring them with sad music. Mostly the sad parts happen quite suddenly and are relatively short. Maybe that's just another 'trick' to get you to cry without being as obvious as many soap opera's. TO me though, it makes the stories appeal much more life-like and truly gut-wrenching and sad.
Also all of the characters are good. If you watch long enough, you can get bits and pieces of information on everyone of them, thus discovering what makes them tick. I must admit that the series has changes it's emphasis a bit in recent years. In the first year there were numerous episode's that featured theme's or events from the investigator's home environment (especially Stabler's). This trend has somewhat diminished over the years, yet you can still see each individual's background shining through into their work ethics. One thin I really had to get used to was Richard Belzer's (Det. John Munch) role getting smaller. It seems to me that in the first few years of the series he was present much more and he made much more cynical remarks, something I really enjoyed. But overall the series has not changed for the worse, for I feel it has actually improved. While a few years ago I'd given this series an 8 out of 10 I'm much more inclined now to rate it even higher. What I've come to appreciate these last 2 or three years, were the additions of Ice-T (Det. Fin Tutuola), B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang) and Stephanie March (A.D.A. Alex Cabbot) to the team. Stephanie March's character provides the viewer not only with an insight to what the D.A's job is, but her involvement in the series also shows what difficult decisions need to be made at times when the victim becomes the pursued or when a suspect cannot legally be brought to justice. Huang's intense involvement lately is in my opinion the biggest and best evolution the series has undergone (up until now). Not only because there have been few if any series which placed the work of the forensic psychiatrist is in the spotlight, but also it is much more realistic than for instance the media's depiction of profilers in The Silence of the Lambs or the TV-series Profiler. Also I think it is good (in addition to being very interesting) to show the public that not every offender is purely bad, but there is often much more when you go beyond the surface. As for Ice-T's character, I think he really completes the mix in the show, as the tough street cop. Him and Belzer are an ideal couple, just like Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni).
The reasons, I personally feel SVU is the best crime series on the tube at the moment, are easily summarized. It has very much diversity, it offers insight into the psyche's of both victim's and perpetrators and it is realistic in every aspect.
9 out of 10
The thing that makes SVU stand out so much in opinion, is that the stories depicted are very realistic and heart felt. I personally appreciate it very much, that there are no cheap attempts to make you cry by extending dramatic scenes or underscoring them with sad music. Mostly the sad parts happen quite suddenly and are relatively short. Maybe that's just another 'trick' to get you to cry without being as obvious as many soap opera's. TO me though, it makes the stories appeal much more life-like and truly gut-wrenching and sad.
Also all of the characters are good. If you watch long enough, you can get bits and pieces of information on everyone of them, thus discovering what makes them tick. I must admit that the series has changes it's emphasis a bit in recent years. In the first year there were numerous episode's that featured theme's or events from the investigator's home environment (especially Stabler's). This trend has somewhat diminished over the years, yet you can still see each individual's background shining through into their work ethics. One thin I really had to get used to was Richard Belzer's (Det. John Munch) role getting smaller. It seems to me that in the first few years of the series he was present much more and he made much more cynical remarks, something I really enjoyed. But overall the series has not changed for the worse, for I feel it has actually improved. While a few years ago I'd given this series an 8 out of 10 I'm much more inclined now to rate it even higher. What I've come to appreciate these last 2 or three years, were the additions of Ice-T (Det. Fin Tutuola), B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang) and Stephanie March (A.D.A. Alex Cabbot) to the team. Stephanie March's character provides the viewer not only with an insight to what the D.A's job is, but her involvement in the series also shows what difficult decisions need to be made at times when the victim becomes the pursued or when a suspect cannot legally be brought to justice. Huang's intense involvement lately is in my opinion the biggest and best evolution the series has undergone (up until now). Not only because there have been few if any series which placed the work of the forensic psychiatrist is in the spotlight, but also it is much more realistic than for instance the media's depiction of profilers in The Silence of the Lambs or the TV-series Profiler. Also I think it is good (in addition to being very interesting) to show the public that not every offender is purely bad, but there is often much more when you go beyond the surface. As for Ice-T's character, I think he really completes the mix in the show, as the tough street cop. Him and Belzer are an ideal couple, just like Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni).
The reasons, I personally feel SVU is the best crime series on the tube at the moment, are easily summarized. It has very much diversity, it offers insight into the psyche's of both victim's and perpetrators and it is realistic in every aspect.
9 out of 10
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is one of the best and most underrated shows on TV. It stars Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, a tough-as-nails detective who makes his hatred of pedophiles and child molesters well known many times throughout the show. He has another side, a vicious side, that Criminal Intent's Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) lacks. I'm very pleased that he's been nominated for an Emmy. Mariska Hargitay won an Emmy for her performance as Olivia Benson, another fantastic detective. Benson has more edge than CI's Alex Eames (Kathrine Erbe), but is revered for her ability to communicate to troubled witnesses and gouge confessions out of suspects. Her life is put in danger at least twice a season, yet she continues to be strong. Next is the sarcastic detective Jon Munch, played by the excellent comedian Richard Belzer. Munch may seem annoying at times, but his ability to relate to witnesses is excellent, and he plays the "good cop, bad cop" role very well. The final detective is Finn Tutuola, played by former rapper Ice-T. Ice-T plays the character reasonably well, but I think we'd all like to see a meaner side of him. He was very good in the episodes entitled "Rage," and "Rooftop". They are led by Don Cragen, played by Dann Florek, and Cragen is as good a captain as any, as Florek reprises his role he held on "Law & Order" for a few years. Adam Beach recently joined the show, bringing something new to the table in youth and his almost 'surfer dude' approach to detective work. The ADA now is Casey Novak, played by Diane Neal, who could be better, but she gets the job done. She's been better of late, and the contrast between her and her predecessor is really helpful to the show. Her predecessor, Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) was great also. The team is also aided by an FBI psychiatrist, George Huang (BD Wong), who aids them in finding out the true horrors of a person, witness or suspect. His best performance was in the episode called "Coerced." The members of this unit investigate sexually based crimes (rape, rape-homicide) and child based crimes (school shootings, child abuse, child molestation). The show has had extraordinary guest stars, from evil (Johnny Messner, Reg Flowers, Asio Highsmith, Jeff Kober) to touching (Leland Orser, Jerry Lewis) to lost (Brittany Snow) to famous and legendary actors (Jerry Lewis, Dean Cain, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Henry Winkler, Robin Williams, Matthew Modine, Alfred Molina, Cynthia Nixon, John Ritter). This is a truly great show that not only shows the line of work in this graphic department, but shows the emotional stress a detective goes through. 10/10
- The_Amazing_Spy_Rises
- Mar 2, 2005
- Permalink
I am not usually into law all that much but this show is an exception. Each actor does an excellent job portraying their character and the show keeps me on the edge of my seat in every episode I watch.
Also, they do a excellent job at making the least suspected character that many don't think did the crime, the one who actually did do the crime.
They also do a good job at making the storyline for each episode. Instead of keeping the same old ones in every episode, they mix the story lines between rape, poison, kidnap, beating, child abuse etc. You just never know what the show is about until you watch it and that is what makes it so great.
Overall, I give this excellent show a 10/10.
Also, they do a excellent job at making the least suspected character that many don't think did the crime, the one who actually did do the crime.
They also do a good job at making the storyline for each episode. Instead of keeping the same old ones in every episode, they mix the story lines between rape, poison, kidnap, beating, child abuse etc. You just never know what the show is about until you watch it and that is what makes it so great.
Overall, I give this excellent show a 10/10.
I've always thought that Special Victims Unit was qualitatively inferior to the original Law And Order. Not that the cast was bad and certain individual episodes were outstanding. But overall the concept of focusing on sex crimes led our detectives way far field into areas that certainly were not in their jurisdiction. In real life Benson, Staebler, Tutuola, and Munch should have handed off cases to other squads and investigative units and even other police agencies.
Still Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay made a most professional team and their biggest contribution to the show's staying power was demonstrating that two people could have a most professional relationship without becoming romantically involved. When Meloni started having marital issues they were not over Mariska.
It took awhile, but Richard Belzer who retired from the Baltimore PD and went right to work for the Sex Crime Unit at the NYPD finally came up with a chemically compatible partner in Ice-T. In fact all four of the detectives register with unique personalities and a take on life.
The producers of Law And Order owed Dann Florek big time for dropping him from the prime series so it was nice to see him back in charge of this squad. A nice connection to the original series.
This show's gets far more way out in its stories, but they are delivered with pride and professionalism as befits the cast. Only the most especially heinous of crimes are dealt with here.
Still Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay made a most professional team and their biggest contribution to the show's staying power was demonstrating that two people could have a most professional relationship without becoming romantically involved. When Meloni started having marital issues they were not over Mariska.
It took awhile, but Richard Belzer who retired from the Baltimore PD and went right to work for the Sex Crime Unit at the NYPD finally came up with a chemically compatible partner in Ice-T. In fact all four of the detectives register with unique personalities and a take on life.
The producers of Law And Order owed Dann Florek big time for dropping him from the prime series so it was nice to see him back in charge of this squad. A nice connection to the original series.
This show's gets far more way out in its stories, but they are delivered with pride and professionalism as befits the cast. Only the most especially heinous of crimes are dealt with here.
- bkoganbing
- Aug 4, 2012
- Permalink
This was an amazing show when it had a bigger ensemble cast. Now its less than a handful of regulars?!?!!! Just not as good as it used to be.
- bigpoppa206
- Oct 3, 2019
- Permalink
I used to love this show, but now it's all about Benson. She leads the charge, delivers all the crushing lines, saves the day, swans around as is SVU was her baby, and we get her flamin personal life thrown in to boot.
I am irritated now by her. Her twee soft voice when trying to appear caring, her cocking her head to the left when trying to appear sympathetic.
Mariska can't act. She has for some reason risen up through the ranks of this once brilliant show and now in her leading lady role, as well as producer and director has turned it into a one trick, three legged donkey.
I am irritated now by her. Her twee soft voice when trying to appear caring, her cocking her head to the left when trying to appear sympathetic.
Mariska can't act. She has for some reason risen up through the ranks of this once brilliant show and now in her leading lady role, as well as producer and director has turned it into a one trick, three legged donkey.
- ScarletElizabeth
- Sep 6, 2023
- Permalink
I used to LOVE this show. Like many, I was sad when Stabler left and kept hoping he'd return but, hey, at least we still had Munch, Cragen and Fin. The show should've ended when Munch and Cragen left. Since then, it seems the sole purpose of this show is to surpass the record set by the FAR SUPERIOR original "Law & Order" which NEVER should've ended (or, at least been given the proper send-off it deserved). The last several years of SVU have been completely unwatchable. Not because of the so-called "leftist propoganda" some viewers have accused but because the writing, acting, and overall feel and tone of the show has descended to the immeasurably low quality formerly found only in embarrassingly inferior "Law & Order" wannabe franchises (CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, et al).
This show doesn't deserve to have the record for longevity when the quality has been sorely lacking for at least the last 1/3 of its run. Just END it already!
This show doesn't deserve to have the record for longevity when the quality has been sorely lacking for at least the last 1/3 of its run. Just END it already!
- ShooShooFontana
- May 23, 2019
- Permalink
- olsent-46072
- Jun 18, 2019
- Permalink
I have never one been that big of a fan of the original Law & Order. I would watch it for time to time and it was an alright show but never really had anything jump out at me to make it one of my can't miss shows. Then this show came on. I watched this show when it premiered back in 1999 and was impressed from the get go. Sure it followed the basic premise of it's original cousin but was much more loose on it's format and execution. Some episodes hardly ever involve the court room at all where the original week in week out follows a distinct pattern. First half hour is the law then the next is the order. This show although does sometimes follow the same pattern like i mentioned it is much more loose in how it executes it. Mariska Hartigay is excellent as her portrayal of Det. Olivia Benson. The whole cast as a whole is magnificent. Now I know a lot of people will disagree with me that this show is in no way better than the original but for me it is. It has given me something that the original never did.
- canadianfreak_17
- Nov 17, 2004
- Permalink
Must watch tv till season 22 , then tick in the box woke nonsense took over , every episode now has a race angle or some left wing soap box preaching in it , let's drop the PC nonsense and get back to how it was !
- mark-98200
- Jul 26, 2021
- Permalink
I still do not like the character of Olivia Benson being in charge of SVU as she is not good at it at all as she strictly is all for the females every time as far as victims go but then she doesn't trust or get totally along with Rollins maybe she sees her as a threat or something because Rollins sees & hears both sides males & females. They need to bring in somebody else to be in charge of SVU & bust Benson back down to just being a detective. The last & latest episode I'm on the fence or almost over the fence because the "victim" liked the guy when she first seen him telling her cousin he is hot & then the whole bathroom scene & other witnesses from the party said she was all over him even as they went outside. I do not think it warrants rape. Also in this episode Benson makes it sound like before we have sex every time we have to ask permission & wait for a firm definitive yes or no whether it's our wife or girlfriend or whomever & that way off point & wrong. Rape is or should be when somebody says no or is fighting you off while at the same time the perp doesn't care what the female is saying & forces it on her anyway.
- lovettstough
- Oct 28, 2016
- Permalink
This used to be my favorite show. But recently the show has gone down hill. All the mrs Stabler. I think I will stick to law and order. Great show. No soapy crap.
Okay i started watching this show not when it premiered because that was 9 years ago and i was 10 back then, and not allowed to watch shows like that back then lol. But as soon as i started to watch this show i knew it was the show for me, this show honestly has EVERYTHING. acting top notch, directing, producing, story line, suspension, everyhting that a show should have :). In addition to all those factors this show is completely educating. I am a psychology major and half of the material we learn i learn watching this show. Every time i answer all questions in my class without reading the material. I think that children these days are much more mature than they used to be and if they watch this show starting at age 13-14 instead of watching other shows that they should not be, they would be much more educated in this world of ours. Aagin this show is an amazing show, these writers sure know what they are doing. Other shows should take a great big example from this show:) Thank you
- crazy_israelit
- Jan 1, 2008
- Permalink
Other than the original "Law & Order" police-drama created by Dick Wolf, spin-off series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is the best. This series focuses on the SVU, a section of the New York Police Department that specializes in sexually-based offenses. Here, on the "Law" side, we're introduced to ultra-cool cop duo Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), supported by John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) and watched over by Cpt. Donald Cragen (Dann Florek). Other supporting characters include M.E. Warner (Tamara Tunie) and Dr. Huang (B.D. Wong). On the "Order" side, we have ADA Casey Novak (Diane Neal, who replaced ADA Alexandra Cabot, who was played by Stephanie March for five seasons). I think this is the highest-rated spin-off because it's the most accessible. We have characters we really like, and we're continuously showed their lives on and off the job, and I think that's what draws us in each week for more. I still occasionally read stories about how some of the actors on "SVU" are approached on the street by fans of the show and are told how much they mean to them. That's a mark of truly great television, don't you think?
10/10
10/10
One of my favorites I could watch this everyday ...the cast is amazing it's just such a great show since the beginning I've been watching never missed an episode
- zombiechick1990
- Jun 24, 2020
- Permalink
I used to love this show, and still enjoy most of the earlier episodes. I've become tired of the political themes though. I watch to see a crime show, not have agendas shoved down my throat. I'm not even conservative and I find it annoying. After seeing the previews for next week's episode, I probably won't watch it. If all the episodes this season are like this, I'll likely just stop watching altogether.
- dragonseeker113
- Sep 27, 2018
- Permalink
Some people prefer the original. Some people (a limited group, I must say) prefer CI (though it gets the worst reviews of the three). Some people just seem to hate Mariska, for whatever reason.
But I love this show more than anything, and Mariska, I think, is probably the high point of the show. After all, what would the show be without Olivia Benson?
The cases suck you in through their sheer momentum - rape, child abuse - things most people find sickening, which is why it's so amazing that this show even exists. And the plots are excellent at that.
And then you have the characters. L & O is famous for not giving you much depth into their characters - SVU is easily the one with the most character development. You've got John Munch, who's gone through numerous wives, is in love with the ideal of love even though he's never found it, used to work Baltimore homicide, and is a complete smart ass in love with conspiracies. Elliot Stabler is a former marine with 4 kids and a 20-year marriage to his high school sweetheart. Fin - well, Fin's the most private of the four main detectives, which works for him.
And then you have Olivia. The only female member of the squad, her history is part of what drew me to the show. Her mother was raped by her father, and Serena Benson had Olivia through that horrible crime. A drunk, she wasn't the best of mothers, but you can tell that Liv still loved her. But it's a past that still haunts her.
All of the actors and actresses do a fantastic job at conveying the emotions of these people. I'm still bemoaning the loss of Stephanie March as Alex Cabot, and really hope that I'll stop hating Casey (Diane Neal) Novak for replacing her sometime soon.
But lord knows, I will keep watching this show for as long as I can.
But I love this show more than anything, and Mariska, I think, is probably the high point of the show. After all, what would the show be without Olivia Benson?
The cases suck you in through their sheer momentum - rape, child abuse - things most people find sickening, which is why it's so amazing that this show even exists. And the plots are excellent at that.
And then you have the characters. L & O is famous for not giving you much depth into their characters - SVU is easily the one with the most character development. You've got John Munch, who's gone through numerous wives, is in love with the ideal of love even though he's never found it, used to work Baltimore homicide, and is a complete smart ass in love with conspiracies. Elliot Stabler is a former marine with 4 kids and a 20-year marriage to his high school sweetheart. Fin - well, Fin's the most private of the four main detectives, which works for him.
And then you have Olivia. The only female member of the squad, her history is part of what drew me to the show. Her mother was raped by her father, and Serena Benson had Olivia through that horrible crime. A drunk, she wasn't the best of mothers, but you can tell that Liv still loved her. But it's a past that still haunts her.
All of the actors and actresses do a fantastic job at conveying the emotions of these people. I'm still bemoaning the loss of Stephanie March as Alex Cabot, and really hope that I'll stop hating Casey (Diane Neal) Novak for replacing her sometime soon.
But lord knows, I will keep watching this show for as long as I can.
- michiruwater
- Apr 7, 2004
- Permalink
SVU used to be one of my favourite shows. There's been some incredible, edge-of-your-seat episodes like "911", but now it's mostly he-said she-said's and statutory rapes between two willing participants (i.e. 15 year old girl and 16 year old guy). Yes, it's more realistic and true to life, but that's not why I watch TV like this. If I wanted realistic crime shows I'd watch Highway Cops or something - not Law & Order.
The political agenda pushing that's become central to the show is beyond aggravating. As the most liberal, feminist, pro-immigration, anti-racist, anti-fascist person around, having the views I already believe in forced down my throat every time I'm trying to chill out and watch TV is frustrating. It's also even more frustrating knowing how pointless it is - SVU is a crime show, it's not going to make anyone reconsider their politics, and it's dumb to isolate people from a show they've enjoyed for decades just because their politics differ to yours. The way it's all approached feels really patronising and tacky too - and the "my way is the right way" attitude is unhelpful in creating any positive political discussion.
Season 19 has been better than the past few seasons - there's been a few more engaging plot lines. It's still not even close to how it used to be though, where virtually every episode was an 8/10 with 9's being a common occurrence. Now it's more like every episode is a 5/10, and we're lucky if we get a 7.
I don't watch the show regularly anymore; I just resort to it when there's literally nothing else I can think of to watch. It sucks because it was so good, and I don't even think the new cast is too bad (yeah, they're not the OG's, but I can deal with it if the plots are good). It seemed to get a lot worse when Mariska Hargitay took over as Executive Producer.
Bring back engaging plots please and stop the political tripe. :(
The political agenda pushing that's become central to the show is beyond aggravating. As the most liberal, feminist, pro-immigration, anti-racist, anti-fascist person around, having the views I already believe in forced down my throat every time I'm trying to chill out and watch TV is frustrating. It's also even more frustrating knowing how pointless it is - SVU is a crime show, it's not going to make anyone reconsider their politics, and it's dumb to isolate people from a show they've enjoyed for decades just because their politics differ to yours. The way it's all approached feels really patronising and tacky too - and the "my way is the right way" attitude is unhelpful in creating any positive political discussion.
Season 19 has been better than the past few seasons - there's been a few more engaging plot lines. It's still not even close to how it used to be though, where virtually every episode was an 8/10 with 9's being a common occurrence. Now it's more like every episode is a 5/10, and we're lucky if we get a 7.
I don't watch the show regularly anymore; I just resort to it when there's literally nothing else I can think of to watch. It sucks because it was so good, and I don't even think the new cast is too bad (yeah, they're not the OG's, but I can deal with it if the plots are good). It seemed to get a lot worse when Mariska Hargitay took over as Executive Producer.
Bring back engaging plots please and stop the political tripe. :(
- AnnabellaWilliam
- May 10, 2018
- Permalink
- PartialMovieViewer
- Aug 26, 2021
- Permalink