Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - The First Year

Dick Wolf

Overview

Sexual assaults, domestic disputes and kidnappings are often the primary focus of this crime show, which follows New York City detectives working in a specialized division within the police department. The first spin-off of "Law & Order," this series has featured many high-profile guest stars. Richard Belzer brought his character from "Homicide: Life on the Street," Det. John Munch, to the show after the cancellation of the Baltimore-based series.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/21/2003
UPC:	0025192271823
Original Release:	2003
Rating:	NR
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Language:	English
Time:	17:23:00
Sales rank:	34,986

Special Features

Special victims unit: The beginning; Dann Florek's squad room walk-through

Editorial Reviews

The first spin-off of NBC's long-running Law & Order takes an even darker view of human nature than its progenitor. But that's to be expected, since the job of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit is to investigate especially heinous sex-related crimes. Thanks to Richard Belzer, whose caustic Det. John Munch moved up to New York City from Baltimore's Homicide: Life on the Streets, SVU is laced with black humor rarely seen on the original show (except in Munch's crossover episodes). SVU also noses around the detectives' private lives far more than Law & Order, where professional detachment is the modus operandi. Knowing that Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) was conceived during a rape ­­ and that her partner, Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), is a fiercely protective dad ­­ enhances our understanding of how they react to sexual assault cases. In the hands of award-winning creator Dick Wolf, even the perpetrators are complex. Dense storytelling adds layers of meaning to hot-button issues like pedophilia, and gives extra twists to kinkier cases, which uncover everything from Romanian sex slaves to a sadomasochistic stockbroker.