The detectives that are part of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit investigate crimes of sexual nature. While the focus of the other shows in the `Law & Order' franchise largely deal with murder cases, the SVU detectives frequently deal with crimes, such as rapes, in which the victim survives and assists authorities in the investigation. The series features a cast of veteran actors, including Mariska Hargitay, Richard Belzer, Dann Florek and, after the first season, rapper Ice-T. Occasional crossover episodes feature detectives from other series in the `Law & Order' franchise.
Drama series. A woman with a high-risk pregnancy is kidnapped as she approaches her delivery date and Benson and Stabler are faced with more than one suspect. (S5 Ep 1)
Crime drama series. The team probes the connection between the deaths of two high school students and an illegal marketing campaign by a major pharmaceutical company. (S5 Ep 2)
Drama series about an elite force investigating sex crimes. Benson and Stabler investigate the near-fatal beating of a psychiatrist, possibly by one of her patients. (S5 Ep 3)
Drama series. A suspect is charged with the rape and murder of an undercover federal agent, and as the trial approaches, Cabot receives death threats. (S5 Ep 4)
Drama series about sex crime investigation. A doctor attempts to falsify a paternity test naming him as the father of an infant who was murdered shortly after birth. (S5 Ep 5)
Drama series. When a young boy is kidnapped by a schizophrenic man, Stabler and Huang uncover further crimes at an adult group home. (S5 Ep 6)
Drama series about the investigation of sex crimes. When a man is arrested after attacking his wife, he wants to have her charged with neglect - for drinking while pregnant. (S5 Ep 7)
Drama series. When the gay poster boy for a sexual re-education group is found murdered, suspicion falls on a reverend. (S5 Ep 8)
Crime drama. When the detectives probe the castration of a serial sex offender, they discover the culprit may have been one of the women he abused. (S5 Ep 9)
Drama series about sex crime investigation. The discovery of an injured toddler sends Stabler and Cragen on a search for the attacker, who may be a paedophile (S5 Ep 10).
Drama series about an elite force based in New York. An escaped paedophile kidnaps his accuser and takes Detective Benson hostage. (S5 Ep 11)
Drama series about an elite force based in New York. Benson and Stabler investigate the death of a college student. (S5 Ep 12)
Drama series about an elite force which investigates sex crimes. A man accused of murdering two Arabs claims that he was genetically predisposed to hatred. (S5 Ep 13)
Drama series about an elite sex investigation force. A ritualistic killing leads to the discovery that children are being smuggled from Nigeria and sold into slavery. (S5 Ep 14)
Drama series about an elite force based in New York which investigates sexually oriented crimes. The investigation into the death of a teenager exposes a family secret. (S5 Ep 15)
Drama series about an elite force based in New York which investigates sex crimes. A mentally ill woman's paranoia intensifies after her husband is murdered. (S5 Ep 16)
Drama series about an elite force based in New York. A group of high school bullies are convicted for torturing and murdering one of their own gang. (S5 Ep 17)
Drama series about an elite New York police force. Foster parents and a social worker face charges when a child appears to have died during an exorcism. (S5 Ep 18)
Drama series about an elite force based in New York which investigates sexually oriented crimes. Two children claim they were molested by a billionaire. (S5 Ep 19)
Drama series about an elite force based in New York that investigates sexually oriented crimes. The team deciphers a motive for the strangulation of an assistant DA. (S5 Ep 20)
Drama series about an elite force which investigates sexual crimes. The detectives probe the murder of a student who had been working to rehabilitate hardened criminals. (S5 Ep 21)
Drama series about a police sex crimes unit based in New York. The team investigate a terminally ill embryologist suspected of facilitating a suicide. (S5 Ep 22)