TV series
Hope in the darkness.
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.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Checked Jul 24, 2026
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, Fubo, and Spectrum On Demand in United States. You can also buy it from Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
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.
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
The investigation into the attempted kidnapping of a six year old girl uncovers a fertility doctor's scheme to steal embryos, and prompts a custody battle between the child's biological and birth mothers.
Directed by Arthur W. ForneyWritten by Jonathan GreeneGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Lea Thompson, David Forsyth, Abigail Breslin, Camilla Scott, Sheila Tousey, Ned Eisenberg, Peter McRobbie
Episode 2
As Benson and Stabler investigate the disappearance of a mother and her teenaged daughter, they uncover a conspiracy between a corrupt immigration attorney and gangsters running a prostitution ring that is staffed by women they have smuggled into the country and imprisoned as sex slaves.
Directed by David PlattWritten by Amanda GreenGuest stars Kim Chan, Aaron Yoo, Ming-Na Wen, James Hong, Loren Dean, Karen Tsen Lee, Tom O'Rourke, Frankie Dellarosa
Episode 3
With the encouragement of a radio host, who has a dirty mouth on him, one teenager is raped and another is imprisoned when they are thrown together by the manipulative adults in their lives whose sole motivations are celebrity and publicity for their own self-serving interests.
Directed by Constantine MakrisWritten by Jose MolinaGuest stars Raviv Ullman, Lewis Black, Dana Delany, Jason Antoon, Luna Lauren Vélez, Maggie Grace, Sheila Tousey, Michael Boatman
Episode 4
The entire squad races against the clock to solve the puzzles and uncover the clues scattered throughout the city by a serial killer who is taunting them to find him and the next victims on his list.
Directed by Daniel SackheimWritten by Dawn DeNoon, Lisa Marie PetersenGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Elizabeth Franz, Doug Hutchison, Remy Auberjonois, Anne Meara, Rony Clanton, Mike Doyle, Madison Arnold
Episode 5
A missing teenager found beaten and tied up in a college dormitory under construction claims that she was raped by three students, but as the investigation proceeds and information obtained by the police and the press causes her story to unravel quickly, the girl recants. Since Benson remains convinced that a rape did occur, the focus of the investigation shifts to the girl's overly-protective stepfather who has resisted the investigation from its onset.
Directed by Constantine MakrisWritten by Patrick HarbinsonGuest stars Cady McClain, Michael O'Keefe, John Bedford Lloyd, Joseph Lyle Taylor, Amanda Seyfried, Blair Brown, Jim R. Coleman, Emma Bell
Episode 6
The detectives and the district attorney get played first by the teenage murderer of a young boy, and then by the victim's father, who uses his professional expertise to escape punishment for avenging his son's death.
Directed by David PlattWritten by Roger Wolfson, Robert NathanGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Peter Riegert, Bruce Kirkpatrick, Max Iles, Kathleen McNenny, Cecelia Antoinette, Audrie Neenan, Jordan Garrett
Episode 7
A career con artist, forger and thief turns to murder and serial pedophilia to populate the cult he created and to get his hands on a multi-million dollar trust fund. The detectives have trouble getting any leads because no one in the cult is saying anything, not even their names.
Directed by Arthur W. ForneyWritten by Michele Fazekas, Tara ButtersGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Shannon Cochran, Holliston Coleman, Jeff Kober, Bruce Norris, Peter Maloney, John Ortiz, Michael Cullen
Episode 8
When a college student claims rape and her professor claims it was consensual sex, Stabler and Benson find themselves in the middle of a he said, she said battle, trying to decide whether to believe the alleged victim, or the alleged perpetrator who claimed she liked it rough. Benson sides with Myra, the victim, whereas Stabler finds himself wondering if Polikoff is telling the truth about being innocent, especially after Myra falsely accuses Stabler of touching her inappropriately. After giving more thought to the situation, Benson and Stabler each wonder if the other is right. Stabler has bigger problems on his hands, though, as Myra's attorney reveals that Kathy has moved out and taken the children.
Directed by Ted KotcheffWritten by Marjorie DavidGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Jeffrey Carlson, Shannyn Sossamon, Maureen Flannigan, Mariette Hartley, Patricia Kalember, Viola Davis, Judith Light
Episode 9
After arguing with Benson about their personal lives, Stabler enlists the help of a former cop turned psychiatrist in apprehending a serial rapist and murderer who attacks disabled women.
Directed by David PlattWritten by Michele Fazekas, Tara ButtersGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Dallas Roberts, Becki Newton, Mary Stuart Masterson, Amanda Plummer, Geneva Carr, Hettienne Park, Ward Horton
Episode 10
Fin is reunited with his own son as he risks his life to save two small children, one caught in the middle of a bodega robbery and the other from the junkie who set the child's mother up for murder and then stole him to use as a front in her scheme to boost materials for her meth lab.
Directed by Juan José CampanellaWritten by Amanda GreenGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Jeannetta Arnette, Nicholas Gonzalez, Daryl Wein, Chuck Ardezzone, Ephraim Benton, Caren Browning, Francis Jue
Episode 11
After a car accident a nine-year-old girl is examined and it's found she's been sexually abused. Out of fear and desperation, the girl blames her soccer coach for molesting her. Soon a slew of other girls claim they also have been raped by the same coach. During the investigation, Benson has to try keeping Stabler from falling apart as his wife has left him.
Directed by Aaron LipstadtWritten by Jonathan GreeneGuest stars Zach Gilford, Mary Stuart Masterson, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Rebecca Lowman, Jennette McCurdy, Allison Siko, Peter Hermann, Patricia Cook
Episode 12
Complications ensue in the investigation of a Stone Cold Assassins gangbanger who fell off a building after the victim that he tried to rape bit him in self-defense when the vic's twin sister cops to the crime, seemingly impossible due to the evidence until the secrets regarding the sister's true genetic identity are revealed.
Directed by Rick WallaceWritten by Dawn DeNoon, Lisa Marie PetersenGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Peter Firth, Mary Stuart Masterson, Hillary B. Smith, Sandra Caldwell, Reiley McClendon, John Bolger, Charlayne Woodard
Episode 13
When the body of a seven-year-old child is found, the squad again begins to investigate convicted serial killer Lucas Biggs, believing that he molested and murdered the boy. While Biggs can detail every child he ever molested, he swears that he has no memory of this one. Further investigations show that there is another suspect, but before he can be picked up, someone picks him off.
Directed by Constantine MakrisWritten by Jose MolinaGuest stars Tamara Tunie, John Savage, Julie Lund, Bill Buell, Michael Shannon, Angelica Page, Corey Carthew, Terry Serpico
Episode 14
The squad is at a loss on what to do with a violent homicide when Stabler's son points out that the event is straight out of a video game. Interviewing the game's creators leads them to a former employee, who then leads them (with a few other steps along the way) to a teenage couple who claim to be unable to distinguish fantasy from reality.
Directed by David PlattWritten by Patrick HarbinsonGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Barry Bostwick, Seth Gabel, Geoffrey Arend, Robert Montano, J. Paul Nicholas, Matthew Faber, Trisha LaFache
Episode 15
When the body of a teenager is found with her older cousin's I.D., Benson and Stabler investigate only to learn that that the teen had been part of a group who had 'hooked up' online. As their investigation intensified, they realised that the victim was the object of an older man's obsession, but before they can arrest him he also turns up dead.
Directed by Jean de SegonzacWritten by Joshua KotcheffGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Aaron Staton, Hayden Panettiere, Jessica Dunphy, Alex Cranmer, Shuler Hensley, Matt Malloy, Annie McGreevey
Episode 16
When a wealthy couple is found dead in their home, Benson and Stabler soon realise that their deaths are connected to a drug smuggling ring. Eventually the road leads back to the same drug dealers who forced a former assistant district attorney into hiding, and Alex Cabot comes home to face her enemies.
Directed by David PlattWritten by Amanda GreenGuest stars Stephanie March, Brían F. O'Byrne, Nicholas Gonzalez, Natascia Diaz, Maury Ginsberg, Mitch Pileggi, Audrie Neenan, Ned Eisenberg
Episode 17
Fourteen years ago, Stabler had a chance to nail Gordon Rickett for the abduction, rape and murder of Dana MacNamara, but Rickett managed to get off. With the recent discovery of the body of Kerry Lynn Palmer, Stabler has another chance at cracking the case. They can only hold Rickett for twenty-four hours, but are able to glean enough information during that time period to at least have a place to start. Cragen and Benson both worry that Stabler will let his hatred for the suspected child molester interfere with his ability to do his job.
Directed by Juan José CampanellaWritten by Michele Fazekas, Tara ButtersGuest stars Matthew Modine, Caren Browning, Anne Pitoniak, Michele Santopietro, Anthony Inneo, Barbara Rosenblat, Ashley Lopez
Episode 18
After an 18-year-old girl is kidnapped, psychic Sebastian Ballentine comes forward claiming to have information on the killings. Stabler refuses to believe that Ballentine is a real psychic, and is convinced that the hints he is dropping about the case indicate he is somehow involved.
Directed by Aaron LipstadtWritten by Dawn DeNoonGuest stars Martin Short, Mary Mara, Marianne Hagan, Taylor Spreitler, Caren Browning, Peter Hermann, Joel de la Fuente, Charlayne Woodard
Episode 19
When Denise Eldridge finds her fifteen-year-old daughter Carrie in bed with twenty-one-year-old Justin, she immediately calls police to have Justin charged with statuatory rape. Benson intercedes on behalf of Carrie, calling a children's rights lawyer to assist her, but when Denise turns up dead, Carrie and Justin both end up on the suspect list. Benson tries to get some help from Simone Bryce, but Bryce is obligated to protect her client.
Directed by Marita GrabiakWritten by Jonathan GreeneGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Danielle Panabaker, Jon Foster, Cathy Moriarty, Glenne Headly, Stephen Gregory, Saundra McClain, Peter Hermann
Episode 20
After a young woman is found raped and murdered near a nightclub with five hundred dollars stuffed into her mouth, Benson and Stabler follow the fingerprint trail on the money to Attorney Jason Whitaker, whose sole responsibility seems to be handling the trust for the Duvall family. Soon detectives are convinced that Gabriel Duvall is their rapist, but don't have quite enough evidence to put him away. ADA Novak is working on both the case and a terrified former victim when she is brutally attacked in her office late at night. The crossover continues on Law & Order: Trial by Jury S01:E11 Day (II).
Directed by Juan José Campanella, Arthur W. ForneyWritten by Amanda Green, Chris Levinson, Amanda GreenGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Rita Moreno, Alfred Molina, Fred Thompson, Kirk Acevedo, Bradley Cooper, Angela Lansbury, Stelio Savante
Episode 21
After a young woman's baby is tossed out of a car, Benson and Stabler investigate to find out what happened, and after learning the young woman is addicted to prescription pain killers, their investigation leads them to an elderly woman named Jenny Rogers, who lives with her son Kevin and daughter-in-law Carol. The young woman finally identifies Carol Rogers as the person who solds her the drugs, but when detectives go to confront Carol they find her body, and are left trying to uncover who really killed Carol.
Directed by Félix AlcaláWritten by Patrick HarbinsonGuest stars Melinda Dillon, Christine Elise, Matt Schulze, Lauren Hodges, Judith Ivey, Sanjit De Silva, Brian Gant, J. Paul Nicholas
Episode 22
After a woman's head is found in a car junkyard, the detectives track it down to the black market.
Directed by Matt Earl BeesleyWritten by David FosterGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Marlee Matlin, Glenn Kessler, Marc Grapey, Kevin Carroll, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Michael Lombard, Alex Burns
Episode 23
After the wife of a police officer claims her husband raped her, Benson and Stabler arrest the man and come close to believing his version of events when he attacks his captain. When another officer murders his wife and attempts to kill himself that same night, the whole force gets involved and soon realises that the two men both recently returned home from Afghanistan, where they were given the drug Quinium, an anti-malarial. With the reluctant help of reporter Sherm Hempell and a base doctor with an attack of conscience, Novak takes on the U.S. army. Stabler has trouble with the case because of his history in the marines.
Directed by Peter LetoWritten by Michele Fazekas, Tara ButtersGuest stars Tamara Tunie, Gina Tognoni, Jon Bernthal, Fred Thompson, R.E. Rodgers, John Dossett, Julian Gamble, Stuart Burney
Episode information updated Jul 25, 2026
Mariska HargitayOlivia Benson
Ice-TOdafin 'Fin' Tutuola
Christopher MeloniElliot Stabler
Danny PinoNick Amaro
Richard BelzerJohn Munch
Aimé Donna KellyRenee Curry
Dann FlorekDonald Cragen
Raúl EsparzaRafael Barba
NBCUnited States
Wolf EntertainmentUnited States
Universal TelevisionUnited States
Universal Media StudiosUnited StatesMore shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
