who plays kathy stabler on law & order svu
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 1)


very nervous on set about living up to his dad, and felt out of his depth. Family members of both lead detectives appeared in the opening episode. Kathy Stabler, Elliot Stabler's wife, was played by Isabel Gillies. Gillies continued to play Kathy Stabler over the course of the next 11 years either as a guest star or a recurring actress. She recalled that she was in the middle of buying a wedding dress when she got the call to be on "SVU". Elizabeth Ashley was cast to play Serena
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Isabel Gillies


in "Another Girl Another Planet" (1992), Alison in "I Shot Andy Warhol" (1996), Moira Ingalls in "On Line" (2002), Isabel in "Happy Here and Now" (2002), and Kathryn in "New Orleans, Mon Amour" (2008). Prior to her role as Kathy Stabler on "SVU", which she played from 1999 to 2011, Gillies appeared in "Bad Girl," an episode of the original "Law & Order" series,
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


by the victim's daughter in the SVU squad room, before Detective Stabler was forced to shoot her. In the fourth episode of season 13, "Double Strands", Sherri West appears back in the SVU precinct, except as a defense attorney because they "offered her a better deal." Gillian "Gill" Hardwicke was SVU's primary ADA in season 12. She was a Brooklyn ADA who transfers to due to her great admiration for detectives Benson and Stabler. She replaced Mikka Von (Paula Patton), who
6943200
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit


Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (often abbreviated to Law & Order: SVU or just SVU) is an American crime drama television series created by Dick Wolf for NBC. It stars Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, the lead detective of the Special Victims Unit located in a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department. Christopher Meloni played the other lead detective, Elliot Stabler, until departing from the series after 12 seasons. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" follows the style of the original "Law
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


had mixed feelings about this. The two eventually ended their romantic relationship. Sister Peg is a Catholic nun who lived and worked in New York City. Most of her work involved helping and protecting prostitutes, and as such, she sometimes came into contact with SVU Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson. In the season 6 episode "Pure", she was kidnapped by the murderer that the SVU detectives were trying to capture after they came in contact in the SVU squad-room. She was beat up by a pimp named
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


Appeals bureau, she was the first to get a Capital Conviction in New York when the then newly elected Governor Pataki brought back the death penalty in 1995. Paxton was sent to SVU by DA Jack McCoy to "clean house" in the "he-said, she-said unit" due to too many convictions being overturned. However, things started out rocky as she butts heads with the "SVU" team, particularly Detective Stabler. In the second episode , she and Stabler get into a heated argument after Paxton
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Christopher Meloni


Spike in "Dinosaurs" in the early 1990s. He played criminal Jimmy Liery in eight episodes of "NYPD Blue" during 1996-1997 and the fiancé of Julia Roberts's character in the 1999 romantic comedy "Runaway Bride". From 1998 to 2003, Meloni portrayed the bisexual criminal Chris Keller on the HBO series "Oz". "Law & Order" producer Dick Wolf signed Meloni to play Elliot Stabler on "" in 1999. Meloni appeared on both "Oz" and "Law & Order: SVU"
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Especially Heinous: 272 Views of Law & Order SVU


ghosts with bells for eyes, and—perhaps most disturbingly—the appearance of Abler and Henson, two doppelgängers who are living Stabler and Benson's lives better than Stabler and Benson are. "The Huffington Post" included it on a list of "the 10 Best Short Stories You've Never Read", describing it as "funny, disturbing, canny, and inventive", and "engaging, strange, and wholly original." At "National Public Radio", K. Tempest Bradford compared it to "Lovecraft meets
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit


. "Chicago Justice"'s Peter Stone became SVU's ADA after "Chicago Justice" was canceled after only one season. In season 13, other big changes happened when Stabler left in the season twelve finale. Detectives Nick Amaro and Amanda Rollins joined the team filling the void left by Stabler. Amaro brings empathy to his cases while dealing with a stressful home life, while Rollins' dogged persistence and instincts help her close cases, but her secrets could derail her career. In the current seasons, the Manhattan SVU is
19520871
Especially Heinous: 272 Views of Law & Order SVU


Especially Heinous: 272 Views of Law & Order SVU is a 2013 weird fiction novella by Carmen Maria Machado, told in the form of 272 capsule synopses for the first 12 seasons of the police procedural, "". It was first published in "The American Reader", in May 2013, and republished in Machado's 2017 collection "Her Body and Other Parties". As Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson investigate standard cases of horrific depravity and cruelty, they gradually find themselves enmeshed in a mysterious situation involving alien abductions,
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


progresses from the rank of Detective, working with a partner (initially Elliot Stabler, and later Nick Amaro), to Lieutenant, replacing Donald Cragen as commanding officer of "SVU". The unit also has a prosecutor assigned from the District Attorney's office, and frequently interacts with medical examiners and psychiatrists. Three of the regular characters have appeared in other NBC series: Captain Donald Cragen (Florek), who was on the first three seasons of "Law & Order"; Sergeant John Munch (Belzer), who
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


one of SVU's biggest allies. Though originally a recurring character, she became a regular cast member in season 7 through season 12, reverting to a recurring character in season 13. In the season 7 episode "Blast", she becomes directly involved in the efforts to rescue an eight-year-old kidnapping victim who has just been diagnosed with leukemia. Warner is held hostage with Detective Stabler at a bank where the hostage taker's father is the manager. When the taker demands Detective Stabler to come out of the
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


in a main role during the season 12 episode "Bombshell" in which he helps Benson and Stabler get information out of a homeless man. The reason for his departure is not revealed until the season 13 episode "Father Dearest" in which Dr. Huang returns to the SVU squad temporarily to aid in an investigation and tells them about his new assignment in Oklahoma City. Huang returns to New York in the season 14 episode, "Born Psychopath", and helps the SVU detectives with a case involving a young boy who has
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


in which two young girls were killed in a fire. Stabler and Benson show up at the crime scene and Stabler is shocked to see his old partner and more surprised to know she now works for the DA's office. Benson believes Marlowe only took the job as SVU's ADA so that she could work with Stabler again. In the following episode, "Ace", Marlowe and Captain Cragen clash over the way to handle a case in which a baby-trafficking ring is discovered and a young woman and her baby
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


a case involving child abuse, Beck tries to foster a traumatized adopted girl, who attempts to burn down her apartment and kill them both. Shaken, Beck tells Stabler she could not stand working in the Special Victims Unit anymore unless he asked her to stay. Stabler reluctantly says he cannot make that decision for her, so she decides it would be best to return to her old post at the Warrants squad. Hargitay returned to her role as Benson in the following episode. Detective Chester Lake transferred to the Manhattan SVU
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 11)


a permanent ADA. Sharon Stone joined the cast in the twenty-first episode "Torch" on April 28. She played , the new assistant district attorney for a four-episode arc. "SVU" executive producer Baer described her character as "a funny adrenaline junkie who loves to be in the middle of everything and shares a past with Stabler. She's been married before and has a lot of secrets." She began filming her scenes in March. Her performances were not well received by television critics. Ken
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 7)


helps Detective Stabler come to terms with unresolved issues in what Neal Baer called "an emotionally devastating scene". In addition, the guest star Ernest Waddell from the previous season had his character, Ken Randall, further explored in the episodes "Strain" and "Venom". Season 7 was Fred Thompson's last season on "SVU" even though he continued to play DA Arthur Branch on "Law & Order" for another year. Diane Neal gave an interview about working with him during the seventh season. She compared
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 13)


The thirteenth season of "" debuted on NBC on September 21, 2011, and concluded on May 23, 2012. With "" and "" having ended in July 2011 and June 2011 respectively, this season of "Law & Order: SVU" was the first to be broadcast without any other running U.S. "Law & Order" series, a position the series has held until the nineteenth season, when "Law & Order True Crime" premiered. Season 13 dealt with the departure of Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 1)


As with "Law & Order", writers for the series primarily worked in Los Angeles. However, "SVU" featured more female writers with the series aiming to bring a "strong woman's perspective" to the screen. Writer Dawn DeNoon has mentioned that many of the writing staff were fired during the first season because their scripts were not up to par. For the lead roles, Christopher Meloni was cast as Detective Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay was cast as Detective Olivia Benson after they auditioned together. Hargitay, who
7862426
List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


alcoholic blackout. When ADA Sonya Paxton shows up to court drunk, he orders her to get alcoholism treatment. In "", Moredock drops a statutory rape case because the statute of limitations had run out, even as he states that he finds the defendant, an elderly pedophile, repulsive. Kathy Stabler is Detective Elliot Stabler's wife: they got married when they were both 17. The two are separated for some time in seasons 6 through 8, but Kathy shows up in the squad-room in the season 8
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Donald Cragen


"I wanted him to have grown and changed, and to be much more actively involved." When "Law & Order: SVU" first aired, Dave Mason, television editor for "Ventura County Star", said Cragen was "played brilliantly" by Florek, and called the relationship between Cragen and Stabler the strongest aspect of the series. Alan Sepinwall, television columnist for "The Star-Ledger", said the Cragen character "showed off more personality" in the film "Exiled" and on "Special
6634957
Smoked (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


weapon, SVU has no case. ADA West, though, arrests Luke for witness tampering and Eddie for assaulting a police officer. Later, Skinner is taken by the ATF because he is the key to busting a cigarette smuggling ring. Stabler works with Skinner undercover with the exchange, but it gets botched and Eddie escapes during the gunfire. The detectives track Eddie to Luke's apartment, where he holds Luke at gunpoint demanding money. Stabler convinces Eddie to put the gun down and arrests both men. Eddie admits to killing
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


making amends to each and every one of them. She later appears in the season 11 episode , meeting ADA Cabot outside the courtroom after Cabot discovers she is being investigated by the state bar. Paxton tells her to watch out for Benson and Stabler, because they are only loyal to each other. In season 12, Paxton makes a surprise return to SVU and served as the Executive ADA in the ninth episode () to prove to the DA that she hadn't lost her 'winning ways'. Paxton and Stabler go
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 7)


Melinda Warner, was added to the opening credits. Judith Light, who had played Bureau Chief ADA Elizabeth Donnelly in seasons , and , returned for the seventh season but with her character acting as a judge. The seventh was the first season not to have an appearance by Isabel Gillies as Kathy Stabler. This is because the actress was in Ohio pursuing a failed marriage. Dr. Rebecca Hendrix, the recurring character from the previous season, was brought back for the episode "Ripped". Played by Mary Stuart Masterson, she
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit


and victims frequently play prominent roles in episodes. The unit also works with the Manhattan District Attorney's office 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 pairings of Elliot Stabler & Olivia Benson and John Munch & Brian
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Cold (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


case intensifies when Lake escapes from the hospital and takes hostage the original case's only witness, Cecilia Cruz (Victoria Cartagena). The SVU squad is left to revisit the original murder case, as Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) search for Lake and his hostage. Tutuola (Ice-T) threatens to leave the squad after Stabler searches his cell phone records, thinking Tutuola is Lake's accomplice. The case ultimately causes Novak (Diane Neal) to violate due process while prosecuting the case
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


press conference with Cragen, Benson, and Stabler on the steps of the courthouse while the doctor's attorney hands the SVU squad a lawsuit for failure to take action against Keppler immediately. Later in the episode, Benson and Stabler discover the doctor murdered in his home. The detectives hold CSU out of the house until Cragen and Greylek arrive. Suddenly, they see ADA Cabot walk up to the scene with Cragen. Cabot tells the detectives that the Justice Department called Greylek back to Washington and DA McCoy let her leave immediately.
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


where she goes into labor and delivers a baby boy before she becomes unconscious again. Elliot, who had been upstate retrieving a perp, arrives at the hospital and embraces Kathy and his new son, Elliot Jr. Kathy and Elliot have five children together: Maureen, Kathleen Louise, twins Richard ("Dickie") and Elizabeth ("Lizzie"), and Elliot Jr ("Eli"). Ruben Morales is an officer in the NYPD's Technical Assistance Response Unit who aided the SVU squad with investigations that included computer
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 9)


had appeared on "SVU" once before. Mark Valley guest starred in the following episode "Paternity" as a father who is shocked to learn that his child is not related to him. Bruce Fretts of TV Guide said he "got more dramatic meat to chew in an hour than he's had in three years on "Boston Legal"." This episode additionally deals with the birth of Elliot Stabler's fifth child and was submitted as an Emmy bid episode for Christopher Meloni. Olivia Benson finds herself in a situation
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Olivia Benson


killing him in cold blood. Hargitay has characterized Benson and Stabler's relationship as "very complicated". Her assessment is that: Baer agrees that a romantic relationship between the two is unlikely, though commented: "You never can say never". Hargitay has stated that her favorite "SVU" scene occurs in the episode "Fault", when Benson is faced with the possibility of losing Stabler: "Lou Diamond Phillips [who played a child killer] has a gun to Elliot's head. I'm negotiating [
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


at it again, with Stabler telling her to "go have a drink." In the seventeenth episode (), she returns again to help out an old friend, Alicia Harding, who starts receiving personal threats from her stalker. Paxton tells the SVU squad that she has been working to find Harding's missing sister for decades as it was her case. She releases confidential case information to Harding, which puts Harding in danger. Benson and Tutuola go looking for Paxton at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting to reprimand her for giving
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


was fired after only one case with the SVU team. Hardwicke has a 92% conviction rate as she stated in her premiere episode, . She often gets into conflict over cases with Detectives Benson and Stabler; with Benson over a case where a woman was raped as a teenager and she began seeking revenge on her attackers, branding them with hot clothes hangers. She and Benson also clash when Vivian Arliss (Maria Bello)—who gave custody of her son Calvin (Charlie Tahan) to Olivia—is a suspect in a string of
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


Nicholson. Porter returned in season 11's "Spooked" to work a case with SVU where two people were killed, their killer leaving a rape tree. Benson and Stabler believed the case was a drug-deal gone bad with involvement from a Mexican drug cartel. It is revealed Porter knew who the killer was all along as the victim's roommate Terri Baines (Paola Mendoza) was working with the FBI as undercover intelligence agent. Porter tried to take over the investigation several times, going so far as having the Special
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Elliot Stabler


(Sam Waterston) to be the new ADA for the SVU squad during a four-episode run in season 11. Stabler reveals that he has not seen her for 15 years when she first arrives as the new ADA. Marlowe was a lieutenant in 1995 when she left the NYPD after her command decision resulted in the deaths of two of her officers. She was diagnosed with an "aggressive" type of breast cancer and had a bilateral radical mastectomy a year before joining the SVU squad. For the role of Stabler,
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Elliot Stabler


, while Stabler takes a cynical view of his claim from the start. Benson and Stabler are separated at times during the show. She asks for a new partner after Stabler expects her to jeopardize his life to shoot a convicted sex offender (Lou Diamond Phillips) who had kidnapped two children and killed one of them. Instead, she is briefly reassigned to computer crimes and replaced by a Queens SVU detective, Lucius Blaine (Anthony Anderson). Benson and Stabler become partners again after her replacement, Dani Beck, leaves the
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Elliot Stabler


hand to slap his daughter Maureen, then a toddler. Child victims tend to respond to him. For example, Stabler successfully reaches out to a 15-year-old girl (Rachael Bella) who regresses to a childlike state after being attacked by her father. SVU's resident psychiatrist, Dr. George Huang (B.D. Wong), theorizes that only Stabler would be able to reach her, as he is a father, and she is looking for another father figure. Stabler is partnered with Olivia Benson for 12 years. They are
16775487
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 10)


an island and get people from our show onto other NBC shows." In the third episode "Swing", Ellen Burstyn portrayed Bernadette Stabler, Elliot Stabler's mother who suffers from bipolar disorder. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the role. The fourth episode "Lunacy" was the first filmed in the season and starred James Brolin as an astronaut who used to be one of Stabler's role models. Kristina Klebe played an astronaut who is murdered and Chris Elliott played an
10943349
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 2)


, was the first of two guest appearances "SVU" for Nestor Serrano. Amy Carlson guest-starred as his wife. In the thirteenth episode, "Victims," Eric Roberts guest-starred as a vigilante ex-cop. His character killed sex offenders known to be spreading HIV every time they raped. In this episode, after a visit to a crime scene exposes him to the blood of an HIV-positive victim, Elliot Stabler begins taking antiretrovirals, which is mentioned in the next episode, "Paranoia,
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Elliot Stabler


do." However, after being cleared in the death of a suspect, Stabler realizes that he cannot bear to lose either his job or his family, so he seeks reconciliation with his wife. A short time later, Kathy announces that she is pregnant and asks Stabler to come home. After a serious car accident, Kathy delivers a healthy baby boy, Elliot Stabler Jr. (Eli) (born November 17, 2007). Kathy nearly dies as a result of the crash, but paramedics are able to save
16775482
List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


differences. Initially, Amaro did not see eye to eye with his new partner, Detective Benson, mainly because she was adjusting to having him as a partner instead of Elliot Stabler. After their rocky start, Amaro and Benson begin to have a mutual respect for each other and work well together. During his early days in SVU, Amaro has a tough time adjusting to the cases and tells Benson he has the urge to physically assault a suspect, but she tells him the better solution would be to ensure that the perpetrators
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


him." Lahti appeared in 7 episodes of "SVU" as Paxton, more than any other character in the Executive ADA capacity. ADA Jo Marlowe is drafted by DA Jack McCoy in season 11 after ADA Alexandra Cabot takes a leave of absence to help rape victims in the Congo. She is a former police lieutenant and Detective Stabler's partner approximately four years before he paired with Detective Benson. She first appears in the 21st episode of the season, "Torch", in which McCoy directs her to handle a case
6943191
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 15)


Originally, Acevedo played District Attorney investigator Hector Salazar in the short-lived "Law & Order" spin-off, "". He had made an appearance on "SVU" in the "TBJ"-"SVU" crossover episode "Night". Tony Award winner Billy Porter guest starred in "Dissonant Voices" as singing coach and television personality Jackie Walker, who was accused of sexual abuse by his students. "The X Factor" season 2 contestant Carly Rose Sonenclar portrayed Grace Belsey in this episode. Ashanti, Clay Aiken and
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Elliot Stabler


squad. They remain partners for the rest of Stabler's time in the precinct. In the Season 12 episode "Merchandise," Benson and Stabler are temporarily appointed as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals so they can arrest the leaders of a human trafficking operation located outside their jurisdiction. Once the criminals are in custody, they turn in the badges and take up their positions in the SVU again. Stabler is assigned a temporary partner named (Connie Nielsen) while Benson is undercover in Oregon, embedded in an eco-terrorist group at
16775490
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 7)


of the program already played Victor Paul Gitano, a recently released sex offender who kidnaps two children and puts Detectives Benson and Stabler in a situation where their partnership is pushed to its limits. "Fault" has been named one of Hargitay's favorite episodes multiple times. In the episode "Fat", Anthony Anderson portrayed Detective Lucius Blaine, Stabler's temporary partner. Anderson would go on to portray Detective Kevin Bernard on the original "Law & Order" series from 2008 to 2010. The following episode "Web" showed
6479881
List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


office, he gives Warner his second gun, which she later uses to shoot the taker to prevent him from committing suicide by cop. In the season 11 finale "Shattered", she is held hostage in her own morgue with Detective Benson and ADA Marlowe and is shot by the woman holding them hostage. She talks Benson through life-saving techniques before the woman lets her go to get real medical attention. She is well liked by the SVU squad, though briefly argues with Stabler when he accuses her of botching a
6943231
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 2)


" in which Khandi Alexander guest-starred as a police officer who secretly works for internal affairs. In episode fifteen, "Countdown," Andrea Bowen played a key witness who helps the SVU track a serial killer. In the episode "Runaway", Kelly Karbacz played a teenage girl who goes missing. Sean Nelson guest-starred as an informant who helps the SVU search for her. About "Runaway" showrunner Neal Baer said, "That's the only episode ever broadcast just once on the network — because it
1183917
Elliot Stabler


after using excessive force on an abusive parent. Stabler eventually opens up to Hendrix about his personal demons, and they become close until Hendrix is transferred. By season 9, he and Kathy reconcile, and Stabler learns to better deal with his problems. In the season 12 finale, Stabler is forced to shoot and kill a young woman who opens fire in the Special Victims squad room. Before dying in Stabler's arms, she had killed two suspects involved in the rape and murder of her mother and injured a third,
16775478
Cold (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


, Mariska Hargitay and the other "SVU" cast." Neal was not the only cast member to depart: Adam Beach, who joined the cast at the beginning of the to portray , was departing the cast. Series creator Dick Wolf sounded sanguine about Beach's departure, calling him a "superb actor." Wolf said, "He did a terrific job this season on 'SVU', and I look forward to working with him again in the near future." Beach joined "Law & Order: SVU
5841470
Connie Rubirosa


been credited in 85 episodes of "Law & Order" and eight episodes of "Law & Order: LA", and one episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit", a total of 94 episodes; her 85 episodes as an ADA makes her the fifth-longest serving ADA in the "Law & Order" franchise history, surpassed by Rafael Barba ("SVU"), Alexandra Cabot ("SVU"), Ron Carver ("CI"), and Casey Novak ("SVU"
15218434
Peter Stone (Chicago Justice and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


that Winchester would move to "Law & Order: SVU" in a starring capacity. Winchester replaced Raúl Esparza's character, Rafael Barba, on "SVU" who departed the series in Winchester's debut episode. On March 29, 2019, Winchester announced that he would not be returning for the twenty-first season of "SVU". Peter Jankowski, COO and President of Wolf Films, stated "When we cast Philip, the idea going in wasn't to make that character Ben Stone's son but as we
22102608
Alexandra Cabot


agents for the witness's murder and is subsequently killed in his cell. At the conclusion of the episode, Cabot is apparently killed in a drive-by shooting while saying goodnight to Benson and Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). In the following scene, a cold, quiet SVU squad room is shown with Stabler reading a newspaper proclaiming her death. Benson and Stabler are called to a deserted area by federal agents, where Cabot emerges from the car. She tells the stunned detectives that she had insisted on telling them
16619440
List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


his apology because he believes Stabler will always be the same "bulldog". Afterwards, he requests a transfer from the squad, however the man in charge of transfers is a former colleague of Tutuola's who holds a grudge against him. Tutuola resolves himself to being "stuck" and his captain, Don Cragen, orders him to investigate a case with Stabler, who he calls a "headcase" and "cranky-balls". As time has passed, Tutuola has again warmed to Stabler, a point proven in
6943108
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 14)


Lessons Learned". Patricia Arquette and Anne Meara guest starred as daughter and mother in the "SVU" episode "Dreams Deferred". The episode revolved around an armed and dangerous man who goes on a killing spree with Arquette's Jeannie - a prostitute with whom he has a long-standing relationship - representing the last person he calls. When Jeannie goes missing, the SVU is tasked with convincing their NYPD cohorts that her life is worth saving. Meara played Jeannie's mother, Irene, who worries for her daughter's
18115283
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 8)


to cross paths with SVU detectives again in later episodes. In the seventh episode "Underbelly", Diane Neal had a scene with her husband Marcus Fitzgerald who played an ADA. In the eighth episode "Cage", Margo Martindale played Rita Gabler, a foster parent whose methods have a devastating effect on a young girl. Neal Baer continued to praise her performance and in 2011 said "I know how good she is because when I did "SVU", she put Elle Fanning in a cage and told her to set
15257105
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 19)


After 19 years on the air, I will finally be appearing as a guest star on episode #19006 of "Law & Order: SVU"! I am really excited because this is my first big guest starring role," Noll told "Playbill". Peter Scolari guest starred along with Noll in "Unintended Consequences" as Dr. Dennis Barkley. In October 2017, "THR" announced Melora Walters and Joanna Going would guest star in a special episode of "SVU" ("Something Happened"). Walters played
5714921
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 6)


the character also gave him an opportunity to introduce a conflict between Benson and Stabler and said "Stabler hasn't always felt warmly toward psychiatry, but he does warm up to this character - who has been both a cop and a shrink." The character Dr. Amy Solwey from the fifth season returned in the episode "Parts". Played by Marlee Matlin, Neal Baer said "Munch got very involved with her character, and we thought, Wow, that's really moving‚ let's bring her back." In
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 7)


her first television role in ten years. Saint James stated in an interview that she was eager to play a "Law & Order" part and would have played a judge if it had been up to her. The same interview revealed that she was a long time fan of "SVU" having watched "almost every episode multiple times." Another Season 7 guest star who mentioned being a fan of the program was Chris "Ludacris" Bridges who said "Once you start watching a television show that you love you ca
6479879
Law & Order: Criminal Intent


Thank you." In August 2012, it was announced that Kathryn Erbe would be playing her character Alexandra Eames again in "'s" . Detective Eames transferred out of Major Case, and is now working for a joint City/Federal Homeland Security Task Force, and crosses paths with the SVU squad when their investigation of a sex trafficking ring uncovers a connection to terrorists. Erbe will likely guest star in more "SVU" episodes later in the fourteenth season. Warren Leight, who now is show runner/executive producer on
15421734
Chicago Crossover


from a no-name cell phone purchased in Chicago. Voight was told by Linsday that in Chicago, Andrew Llewellyn (the fire victim who had the child porn photos), and the officer guarding him were shot and killed. Benson comments that their suspect fled back to Chicago. "Chicago Crossover" was written by long-time "Law & Order" franchise writer (teleplay), "SVU" executive producer/show runner Warren Leight and "Law & Order: SVU" creator Dick Wolf, and was directed
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 14)


health and safety. The duo joined previously announced guest star Jason Gedrick in the episode. Denis O'Hare guest starred in "Presumed Guilty" as Father Shea, a priest who is pulled from his car and brutally beaten. O'Hare played Father Shea in the "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" episode "" under showrunner/executive producer Warren Leight in 2008. This marks O'Hare's second stint on "SVU", following an appearance in 2000. He guest-starred on the original "Law & Order" four times
18115284
Elliot Stabler


upon entering adolescence) is named after Col. Richard Finley (James Brolin), Stabler's former commanding officer in the Marines, whom Stabler later arrests after discovering that he murdered a woman. After years of the stress involved with being married to a police officer, Kathy Stabler leaves her husband, taking their children, and temporarily moves in with her mother. Following a case involving a divorce that turned violent, Stabler signs the divorce papers, saying, "when love warps to hate, there's nothing you won't
16775481
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 19)


the rape victim, Laurel Linwood, who knows she was raped but can't remember what happened. Going played Laurel's sister, Leah, who is brought in to help fill in the blanks. On September 20, 2017, it was announced Sam Waterston would guest star in an upcoming episode of "SVU" as his "Law & Order" character, Jack McCoy. Waterston was re-united with show runner/EP Michael S. Chernuchin, who also held the same position at the time Waterston joined the original series
5714922
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 7)


episode, one of their marks was played by Bobby Flay, the then-husband of former "SVU" star Stephanie March. The sixth episode "Raw" featured Marcia Gay Harden playing an undercover agent. Her character is initially believed to be a white-supremacist named Star Morrison and is later revealed to be Dana Lewis of the FBI. Harden would go on to play the character thrice more in "SVU". In the following episode "Name", detectives investigate a perpetrator played by Richard Bright. This episode
6479874
Zebras (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


Gwen (Carol Kane), whom he convinces to reveal Harrison's location. After Harrison evades capture, Stabler and Benson ask for help from Zimmer, who said she has been taking care of Harrison since he lost his parents as a child. An unstable Harrison visits Zimmer, who calls Stabler and Benson to arrest him. As they are about to return to the precinct, Zimmer gets locked into her car and a poisonous gas is released into the air; Stabler breaks her car window, but is unable to save her
3671178
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 18)


the "Law & Order" franchise, was selected as "SVU"s new showrunner. It was announced at the end of the seventeenth season that recurring star Andy Karl (who portrayed Sergeant Mike Dodds) would be departing the cast due to his Broadway work. He was killed off on the season finale by corrupt corrections officer Gary Munson. It was announced on July 22, 2016, that "SVU" would do a ripped from the headlines episode based on Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer". Henry Thomas appeared alongside Kelli
19534006
Kim Greylek


, creator and executive producer of "SVU" Dick Wolf claimed, "We look forward to [McManus] working with Neal [Baer], Ted [Kotcheff] and me to create another interesting and memorable character in the "Law & Order" universe". The character was originally to be named "Polly Sturges", according to McManus. Then-"SVU" showrunner Neal Baer instead chose to name the character "Kim Greylek"; "Kim" after American actress Kim Novak (who also inspired the name of "SVU
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Elliot Stabler


is dedicated to his job but often takes cases personally, thus affecting his judgment. Nonetheless, Stabler has a 97% case-closure rate as of 2007. His badge number is 6313. Stabler is an Irish American Catholic and lives at 72-12 Castleside Street, Glen Oaks, Queens with his wife Kathy (Isabel Gillies) and five children (Maureen, Kathleen, Richard "Dickie", Elizabeth "Lizzie", and Elliot "Eli", Jr.). Stabler was born October 20, 1966. He
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


obsession and cause him to take cases personally. His dedication to the job also makes him the target for several IAB investigations during the course of his 12-year career at SVU. At the start of the series, he is married with four children. He separates from his wife Kathy during seasons 7 and 8, but they reconcile after she becomes pregnant with their fifth child. Elliot is Catholic, which sometimes complicates the cases he works on, but also helps him form a close friendship with ADA Novak. His partner is Olivia
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Olivia Benson


the SVU squad room. Following Stabler's resignation, she is partnered with Det. Nick Amaro. Cragen asks Benson to take the Sergeant's exam following the retirement of Sgt. John Munch (Richard Belzer), and she gets the promotion soon afterward; Cragen congratulates her for placing 48th out of 8,000 applicants. Cragen announces at another dinner party that Benson has been approved to remain at SVU (it was feared she would be reassigned); at the end of the episode, Cragen reveals his impending retirement from the NYPD
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Payback (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


Marta meets with Benson, Stabler and ADA Abbie Carmichael (Angie Harmon). Carmichael pleads her out at manslaughter 2 and sentences her to 18 months in a psychiatric hospital. Cragen chastises Detectives Benson and Stabler for their sloppy investigative work in the case. Sitting in the squad room, Stabler tells Benson that the words Rugova whispered before she died were, "I just want to be with my family." The pilot episode, "Payback", was written by series creator Dick Wolf and "Law & Order" franchise
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Cold (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


that Diane Neal who portrayed Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak since the would abruptly depart the cast. An "SVU" spokesperson confirmed the actress' departure to "TV Guide", saying, "Diane spent five years on SVU and was a tremendous addition to the SVU team. She is looking forward to new opportunities and she will be missed." But as soon as it was announced Neal had departed the cast, it was said that she was fired from the show. This came about shortly after "TV Guide"
5841466
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 14)


of "Law & Order: SVU" (along with other New York City based TV series) was halted by NBC starting October 29, 2012 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Show runner/executive producer Warren Leight tweeted on October 30, "SVU cast and crew seem to be safe. Our stages, and many of us, in the dark. Our thoughts and prayers to all suffering in Sandy's wake". Ice-T tweeted on November 1, 2012, "SANDY Update: SVU production shut down
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit


Law & Order" spinoff, "", until it was pulled from the network in January 2011 to be retooled. "SVU" moved back to 10:00 p.m. on January 12, 2011, until the end of the 13th season. With season 14, "SVU" moved back to 9:00 p.m. after a two-hour season premiere event on September 26, 2012. Beginning with Season 20, SVU will air on Thursday nights at 10 PM, after NBC decided to devote their entire Wednesday primetime lineup to the Chicago Med
19520836
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 13)


Stanton, the wife of Treat Williams' Jake Stanton. Real-life football pros Jerry Rice and Warren Sapp also made special appearances. Kevin Pollak guest starred in the episode "Theatre Tricks", playing a judge who finds himself on the wrong side of the law. Pollak tweeted on December 2, 2011; "Big ass props to the crew and cast of "Law & Order: SVU" for making my first day of shooting super easy and nutty fun." Ice-T's wife, Coco Austin briefly
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Elliot Stabler


is devoted to his family and frequently mentions or thinks about them while working cases. He is also a practicing Catholic whose faith sometimes complicates the cases on which he works. Series creator Dick Wolf named "SVU"s two lead detectives after his son, Elliot, and his daughter, Olivia. Executive producer and head writer Neal Baer has explained that, in contrast to Benson - "the empathetic, passionate voice for these victims"- Stabler embodies "the rage we feel, the 'How can this happen?' feeling". Of
16775473
Olivia Benson


NYPD in the 13th season opener, "Scorched Earth", and takes a while to warm up to her new partner, Nick Amaro. While Stabler has yet to appear again in the series, Benson frequently mentions him in both a professional and personal context; she tells the squad's newer detectives what Stabler would do in a given situation, and says more than once that she is "getting over someone". In season 1, Benson has a sexual relationship with one of her SVU colleagues, Detective Brian Cassidy (
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


, NYPD Excellent Police Duty, and NYPD 150th Commemorative Breast Bar. In season 1, ADA Abbie Carmichael, from "Law & Order", prosecuted SVU cases for 6 episodes. ADA Alexandra Cabot first appears in the season 2 premiere episode "Wrong Is Right", when she is assigned by the DA and Police Commissioner to work with SVU as their permanent ADA. She serves as SVU's ADA until the fourth episode of season 5, in which she survives an assassination attempt by a drug cartel's hitman and subsequently
6943163
Scorched Earth (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


a year in prison. Meanwhile, Benson anxiously awaits for the return of Detective Stabler (Christopher Meloni), who was put on administrative leave after the . After noticing two detectives from the Internal Affairs Board in the squad room, Benson reminds Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek) that the shooting was justified. However, Cragen tells Benson that Stabler will have to submit to a psychiatric exam before he can return to work, having been involved in five prior shootings. At the end, Cragen informs her that Stabler has filed
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Fin Tutuola


however. While they are never friendly, they do respect each other, and sympathize with each other over the dual burdens they both face from being police officers and fathers. When Stabler beats up pedophile Jake Berlin (Tom Noonan) for posting pictures of Stabler's daughter on his website, Tutuola covers for him and praises him for showing restraint; Tutuola says that, had Berlin posted pictures of his child, he would have killed him. After Munch retires from SVU, Tutuola is partnered with Detective Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish
16775886
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit


channel Universal Channel (formerly aired on TV1 which ceased to broadcast in December 2013). In the UK "Law & Order: SVU" originally aired on the Hallmark Channel (which in 2012 became the Universal Channel) with a terrestrial TV airing on Channel 5 in 2016 which then switched to Five USA. The UK is two and half weeks behind the US. In Brazil and rest of Latin America, "Law & Order: SVU" also airs on Universal Channel, with weekdays episodes from past seasons and simultaneously,
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Authority (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


to explosives. Rook brings out a switch and tells Stabler that Benson is connected to an electricity generator. He gives Stabler the option of pressing the button himself or watch while he does it. Stabler refuses to hurt Benson and tries to reason with Rook, telling him too many people have suffered. Rook thanks Stabler for not being a follower, revealing that there are no explosives and Benson is fine, her screams were pre-recorded. Benson and Stabler arrest Rook. As they leave the studio, Benson explains that she
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters


help them as long as they don't blow his cover. After Cassidy helps SVU get insight on the war between Ganzel and an opposing escort service, he has to play both sides of the law as he refuses to sacrifice his three years of undercover work. In the season 14 premiere, Bureau Chief ADA Paula Foster reveals to Detective Benson that Cassidy is working undercover for her. Benson, along with Cassidy's former SVU partner Sergeant Munch, meets with him on two different occasions to get information on the escort war.
6943135
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 11)


, Lisa Arrindell Anderson and Quinton Aaron guest-starred in "Disabled", which aired March 24. Scott played the sister and caretaker of a former singer (Lisa Arrindell Anderson) who has severe multiple sclerosis and is raped. Aaron played Scott's son. Ann-Margret and Jaclyn Smith guest-starred in the episode "Bedtime" that aired March 31. Ann-Margret played "a star of commercials that were made in the '70s" and Smith a "retired cop who works with Benson and Stabler to
7194417
John Munch


become quite good friends—their interaction in the two following crossovers between "Homicide" and "Law & Order", as well as in a crossover between "Law & Order" and "SVU", is generally friendly (Belzer originally pitched to Dick Wolf that Munch join "Law & Order" as Briscoe's new partner, but the role had already been filled by Ed Green, played by Jesse L. Martin). While Munch could never be accused of being sentimental, his cynical façade has occasionally slipped, revealing
9267695
Steve Schirripa


. His breakthrough role was in "The Sopranos" (2000), playing Tony Soprano's mobster brother-in-law Bobby Baccalieri for five seasons. For his first two seasons on the show, he wore a fat suit to fit the role. His many television appearances include "Angel," "Casino Cinema", "", "Hollywood Squares", "Joey", "Law & Order", "Law & Order SVU", "My Wife and Kids", "Ed", "
2736475
Kim Greylek


the policy making side of sex crimes" and moves to Manhattan's SVU "to make a difference". Introduced in the premiere episode "Trials", Greylek maintains an unrelenting reputation unpopular with the detectives; she threatens to charge a defendant with a hate crime for raping two women and has a teenage boy charged with assaulting a police officer so he can be tested for HIV. Further, her hands-on approach in accompanying the detectives is at odds with Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), who does not believe
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 6)


job to this day has been Law and Order: SVU. I played a girl who had been badly abused, so the part involved lots of crying and seriousness." In "Haunted", Ernest Waddell made his first of what would become several appearances as Fin Tutuola's son Ken Randall. The character had been mentioned in previous seasons but never shown. Neal Baer stated that the plan to reveal family members slowly was intentional with "We like revealing those kinds of things about a character - as you would in any
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 13)


guest starred in "Theatre Tricks" as an actress at a theater, staging a show in the vein of the popular live show "Sleep No More", where the audience becomes part of the show. Coco's character played Venus, the goddess of love, Coco at one point gets very personal with another actress in the play. This episode marked Coco Austin's third appearance in "Law & Order: SVU". Fisher Stevens played Ted Scott in "Theatre Tricks". Scott is involved in a Special Victims
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Payback (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


wife who is taking care of a young boy. Stabler finds out that Interpol made a positive hit on the victim, identifying him as Stefan Tanzic, a Serbian soldier indicted for crimes of ethnic cleansing and the rape of sixty-seven women, five of whom live in New York City. Benson, who herself is a child of rape, begins to sympathize with the killers. She and Stabler are called back to the morgue and they are told that there were two killers and two weapons. They start to look for
259794
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 19)


The nineteenth season of "" premiered on September 27, 2017 and finished on May 23, 2018 with a two-part season finale. Michael S. Chernuchin, who had previously worked on "Law & Order", "", and "Chicago Justice" took over from Rick Eid as showrunner. This is also the first season since in 2010–2011 where another "Law & Order" series—"Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders"—aired alongside "SVU" on NBC. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" was
5714903
Father Dearest (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)


Leight (story). Filming of the episode was directed by Rosemary Rodriguez. B. D. Wong returns for this episode, portraying his character Dr. George Huang, who helps the SVU detectives find out who is raping young girls who have a common biological father, an unknown sperm donor. Wong was officially cast to the series in and stayed until the end of Season 12, his last on-screen appearances in the episode "". Wong left "SVU" to star in another NBC series, "Awake", where
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 16)


Keach, Henry Simmons and Sandy Duncan also guest star. Ron Rifkin returns to "SVU" portraying defense attorney Marvin Exley in an episode which aired in October, "Producer’s Backend". Exley represents Tensley (portrayed by Stevie Lynn Jones), a young Hollywood celebrity in conflict with the law. Brian d'Arcy James stars as the top-level producer who gave Tensley a score. Dana Wheeler-Nicholson also guest stars as Tensley's mother. Delaney Williams returns to "SVU" as Counselor John Buchanan in the episode
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit


September 20, 1999. Executive producer Neal Baer left "Law & Order: SVU" as showrunner at the end of , after eleven years (seasons 2–12) on the show, in order to sign a three-year deal with CBS Studios. Baer was replaced by former "" showrunner Warren Leight. In March 2015, it was announced that Warren Leight signed a three-year deal with Sony Pictures Television, that will allow him to work on "SVU" one more season, its seventeenth. It was announced
19520828
Idara Victor


", and performed at the 85th Academy Awards. While still in her studies, Idara Victor first appeared onscreen in the indie film "Not Just Yet" and her first television role was in the TV series "Starved", playing opposite Sterling K. Brown. During her time at "Les Misérables", she also played recurring roles on "Guiding Light" and appeared on the television shows "Law & Order", "Law & Order: SVU", "All My Children" and "How to Make It
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 5)


son. Leland Orser played the father and Spencer List played the son. In a 2012 Twitter interview, List wrote "I became an actor when I was 5 I did a [Law & Order: SVU] and I knew from then on I wanted to do this for the rest of my life." The episode "Choice" sought to raise awareness about fetal alcohol syndrome. Josie Bissett (whose husband Rob Estes appeared in the previous season) played the role of an irresponsible mother. Katherine Roberts played her daughter
8591330
Alexandra Cabot


Alexandra "Alex" Cabot is a fictional character within the "Law & Order" universe portrayed by Stephanie March. She is a primary character in "" and "Conviction". Cabot first appears in the "SVU" episode "Wrong Is Right", when she is hired to work with SVU as their permanent assistant district attorney (ADA) overseeing the legality of its arrests, following a rotating mix of ADAs, among them Abbie Carmichael (Angie Harmon) of the original "Law & Order". She is
16619434
Casey Novak


, however, she has a good relationship with the SVU detectives, particularly Stabler, who is especially enraged when she is attacked and beaten up, and risks his career by threatening the man he believed to have done it. Novak has an adversarial relationship with her former supervisor and mentor, Elizabeth Donnelly (Judith Light). Novak often finds herself at odds with Donnelly, but sometimes they have a common friendship with each other. And in one case, Novak forces her (acting upon a directive from Branch) to recuse
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Fin Tutuola


transfer request had become bogged down in red tape, keeping him with SVU. As Captain Don Cragen (Dann Florek) explains it, the person in charge of transfer paperwork is a colleague of Tutuola's in the narcotics unit who holds a grudge because his ex-wife started calling Tutuola after their divorce. Hearing this, Tutuola resigns himself to the likelihood that his transfer will not be effected anytime soon. No further mention of Tutuola's transfer request is made after this point. Tutuola and Stabler mend their relationship somewhat,
16775885
Mariska Hargitay


Hargitay trained as a rape crisis advocate to prepare for the role of Benson. During the last months of her pregnancy in 2006, she took maternity leave from "SVU", and was temporarily replaced by Connie Nielsen, who portrayed Stabler's temporary partner Dani Beck. In May 2009, after the show's , Hargitay and Meloni's contracts expired when they were reportedly making $375,000–$385,000 per episode. During negotiations in April for a new contract, the duo attempted to receive a percentage of the show's profits as other high
2501332
John Munch


was his fault. Munch has an uncle, Andrew (Jerry Lewis), who suffers from depressive pseudodementia. Andrew is found by Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) living as a transient in Manhattan, and is subsequently reunited with his nephew. Andrew, however, reacts badly to his antidepressant medication, which triggers a mania that results in his taking a personal vendetta against a suspected rapist/murderer SVU is investigating, eventually killing the man by pushing him in front of a subway train. Andrew refuses to plead insanity and take
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