In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.
Devil's Dissections (1) (Episode 1) 8.8
Air date: 2015-09-23
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: The squad revisit a crime scene where bodies were buried by a serial killer. Rollins tries to get a confession, but the killer reveals shocking new info instead.
Criminal Pathology (2) (Episode 2) 9.0
Air date: 2015-09-23
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: A serial killer reveals shocking new info and problems in the case mount as Barba faces slick lawyers in court.
Transgender Bridge (Episode 3) 8.2
Air date: 2015-09-30
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: When a transgender teen is assaulted by high school bullies, the case quickly escalates to tragedy, and the squad agonizes over whether the punishment fits the crime.
Institutional Fail (Episode 4) 8.0
Air date: 2015-10-07
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: A malnourished toddler is found wandering and leads police to another ill child from the same home. The investigation eventually lands the Department of Child Services in hot water. Meanwhile, Chief Dodds tells Benson to expect some changes at her squad.
Community Policing (Episode 5) 8.5
Air date: 2015-10-14
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: An unarmed black man is shot by three police officers who claim they were following proper procedure while pursuing a rape suspect. As racial tensions mount throughout the city, Barba indicts the three cops.
Maternal Instincts (Episode 6) 7.8
Air date: 2015-10-21
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: A violinist is raped by her colleague, but he doesn't remember committing the crime and claims he was drugged and robbed by a hired escort. Meanwhile, Rollins' mother throws a baby shower for her; and Sgt. Mike Dodds reports to work at the SVU squad.
Patrimonial Burden (Episode 7) 8.6
Air date: 2015-11-04
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: When a pious TV family's reputation is shattered by a teen pregnancy scandal, SVU uncovers the reality behind the reality show.
Melancholy Pursuit (Episode 8) 8.0
Air date: 2015-11-11
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: The search for a missing teenager takes an emotional toll on Dodd, DNA could lead to the teen's abductor.
Depravity Standard (Episode 9) 8.0
Writer: Ed Zuckerman
Air date: 2015-11-18
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: Lt. Benson seeks justice in the trial of child abductor Lewis Hodda, but when a plea deal is rejected, Barba must rely on decades-old evidence to make his case and faces off against former SVU colleague Dr. Huang.
Catfishing Teacher (Episode 10) 8.5
Writer: Kevin Fox
Air date: 2016-01-06
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: A high school student plans a clandestine hookup with his female teacher but ends up in a far more sinister situation.
Townhouse Incident (Episode 11) 9.2
Writer: Brianna Yellen
Air date: 2016-01-13
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: Benson is taken hostage when she tries to stop a home invasion.
A Misunderstanding (Episode 12) 9.0
Writer: Céline C. Robinson
Air date: 2016-01-20
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: A murky he-said, she-said date rape case ruins the futures of two high school students.
Forty-One Witnesses (Episode 13) 8.0
Writer: Robert Brooks Cohen
Air date: 2016-02-03
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: A woman is followed home and raped outside her building, where several neighbors witness the crime but fail to call for help.
Nationwide Manhunt (I) (Episode 14) 8.4
Writer: Julie Martin
Air date: 2016-02-10
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: Chicago P.D. detectives Lindsay and Dawson join the SVU in the hunt for two escaped murderers they helped to convict.
The crossover continues on Chicago P.D. S03E14 The Song of Gregory Williams Yates (II).
Collateral Damages (Episode 15) 8.8
Writer: Samantha Corbin-Miller
Air date: 2016-02-17
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: Two high-profile suspects are arrested in the takedown of an online pedophile ring following a sting operation.
Star-Struck Victims (Episode 16) 8.3
Writer: A. Zell Williams
Air date: 2016-02-24
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: When a lack of evidence leads Barba to drop rape charges against a popular actor; Rollins takes matters into her own hands.
Manhattan Transfer (Episode 17) 8.5
Air date: 2016-03-02
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: A sexual exploitation case involving Catholic schoolgirls results in surprising charges against people in esteemed leadership positions, including judges, lawmakers, lawyers and cops.
Unholiest Alliance (Episode 18) 7.8
Air date: 2016-03-23
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: When one of their own is implicated in a cover-up, the SVU struggles to unravel a sex trafficking operation deeply-rooted in government offices, the police department, and the Catholic Church.
Sheltered Outcasts (Episode 19) 8.2
Writer: Ed Zuckerman
Air date: 2016-03-30
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: Detective Carisi lives undercover at a homeless shelter to determine if one of its sex offender residents is the suspect in a string of neighborhood rapes.
Fashionable Crimes (Episode 20) 8.0
Writer: Penelope Koechl
Air date: 2016-05-04
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: A young model is raped by a renowned fashion house photographer, who looks to his successful brother to make the charges disappear.
Assaulting Reality (Episode 21) 8.0
Air date: 2016-05-11
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: The producers of a reality TV dating series make Benson and the SVU team part of the show when they investigate a contestant's claim that she was raped.
Intersecting Lives (1) (Episode 22) 8.8
Writer: Julie Martin
Air date: 2016-05-18
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: A corrections officer is arrested for sexually assaulting female inmates in and out of prison, and the union that supports him targets Barba and the SVU.
Heartfelt Passages (2) (Episode 23) 9.0
Writer: Julie Martin
Air date: 2016-05-25
Runtime: 43 min
Overview: When the investigation of Corrections Officer Gary Munson deepens, he and his union take drastic actions that threaten the lives of ADA Barba and the SVU squad.