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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 1

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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Season 1
File:L&O season 1 DVD.jpg
Season 1 U.S. DVD cover
Starring
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 20, 1999 (1999-09-20) –
May 19, 2000 (2000-05-19)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of the crime drama television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, premiered on September 20, 1999 on NBC and concluded on May 19, 2000. Created by Dick Wolf, it is the first spin-off of Law & Order and follows the detectives of a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit, which investigates sexually based offenses. SVU originally aired on Monday nights at 9pm/8c EST, but it was moved to Friday nights at 10pm/9c after the ninth episode. Showrunner Robert Palm felt too disturbed by the subject matter and left after the season's conclusion.[1]

The season has been well-received, with critics praising its captivating narratives and memorable characters. The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit first season DVD box set was released on October 21, 2003, in Region 1 format.[2]

Episodes

See also: List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 1 episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Payback"Jean de SegonzacDick WolfSeptember 20, 1999 (1999-09-20)E090114.13[3]
22"A Single Life"Lesli Linka GlatterMiriam KazdinSeptember 27, 1999 (1999-09-27)E090313.06[4]
33"...Or Just Look Like One"Rick RosenthalMichael R. PerryOctober 4, 1999 (1999-10-04)E090712.20[5]
44"Hysteria"Richard DobbsDawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie PetersenOctober 11, 1999 (1999-10-11)E090813.72[6]
55"Wanderlust"David JonesWendy WestOctober 18, 1999 (1999-10-18)E090514.30[7]
66"Sophomore Jinx"Clark JohnsonJohn ChambersOctober 25, 1999 (1999-10-25)E090412.48[8]
77"Uncivilized"Michael FieldsStory by : Robert Palm
Teleplay by : Robert Palm & Wendy West		November 15, 1999 (1999-11-15)E090211.95[9]
88"Stalked"Peter MedakRoger GarrettNovember 22, 1999 (1999-11-22)E091110.57[10]
99"Stocks & Bondage"Constantine MakrisMichael R. PerryNovember 29, 1999 (1999-11-29)E091410.90[11]
1010"Closure (Part I)"Stephen WertimerWendy WestJanuary 7, 2000 (2000-01-07)E091513.66[12]
1111"Bad Blood"Michael FieldsDawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie PetersenJanuary 14, 2000 (2000-01-14)E091613.11[13]
1212"Russian Love Poem"Rick RosenthalEva NagorskiJanuary 21, 2000 (2000-01-21)E091314.33[14]
1313"Disrobed"David PlattJanet TamaroFebruary 4, 2000 (2000-02-04)E091015.14[15]
1414"Limitations"Constantine MakrisMichael R. PerryFebruary 11, 2000 (2000-02-11)E091912.24[16]
1515"Entitled"Ed SherinStory by : Dick Wolf, René Balcer, & Robert Palm
Teleplay by : Robert Palm & Wendy West		February 18, 2000 (2000-02-18)E091817.13[17]
1616"The Third Guy"Jud TaylorDawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie PetersenFebruary 25, 2000 (2000-02-25)E092013.68[18]
1717"Misleader"Richard DobbsStory by : Nick Harding & Nick Kendrick
Teleplay by : Nick Kendrick		March 31, 2000 (2000-03-31)E091212.45[19]
1818"Chat Room"Richard DobbsRoger GarrettApril 14, 2000 (2000-04-14)E092312.67[20]
1919"Contact"Michael ZinbergRobert Palm & Wendy WestApril 28, 2000 (2000-04-28)E092112.84[21]
2020"Remorse"Alexander CassiniMichael R. PerryMay 5, 2000 (2000-05-05)E092411.94[22]
2121"Nocturne"Jean de SegonzacWendy WestMay 12, 2000 (2000-05-12)E092213.70[23]
2222"Slaves"Ted KotcheffLisa Marie Petersen & Dawn DeNoonMay 19, 2000 (2000-05-19)E092612.16[24]

Cast

See also: List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters

Main cast

Crossover stars

Recurring cast

Guest stars

Jennifer Esposito played reporter Sarah Logan, a rape victim who is also targeted by a stalker.

The first season featured the highest number of crossover appearances in SVU. Angie Harmon portrayed her Law & Order character ADA Abbie Carmichael for six episodes. Jerry Orbach (Det. Lennie Briscoe) and his new partner Jesse L. Martin (Det. Ed Green) were shown working together in the third episode. Almost the entire cast of the original series appeared in the crossover episode "Entitled." Another character establishing ties to the original was Detective Ken Briscoe, the nephew of Lennie Briscoe. He was played by Chris Orbach, the son of Jerry Orbach. The younger Orbach later said that he had mixed feelings about his role on the show, as he felt he "only got the gig because of [his] old man."[25] Years after that, he'd admit to friends that he was simply 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.[26] Elizabeth Ashley was cast to play Serena Benson, Olivia's mother. Serena Benson did not appear in SVU again but was mentioned several times. Her character's history of being a rape victim who never got justice—and whose attacker was Olivia's biological father—figures in many later episodes.

Andrew McCarthy guest starred as Randolph Morrow, a sadistic rapist who keeps a sex slave locked in his room.

Some of the earliest revelations about Detective Benson's personal life are found in "Stalked." In this episode, Bruce Kirkpatrick played a rapist who decides to intimidate the detectives once he learns that he is under investigation. An episode dealing with mental illness, "The Third Guy," featured a guest performance by Denis O'Hare. He played an intellectually disabled rapist who elicits differing opinions in the SVU.

The episode "Closure" aired shortly before Detective Brian Cassidy left the Special Victims Unit. However, because of its nonlinear storytelling, it portrayed Cassidy as still working for the unit months later. Despite the continuity error, the producers decided to revisit this episode in the second season owing to the cliffhanger ending and Tracy Pollan's well-received performance as Harper Anderson, a rape victim who becomes obsessed with taking revenge on her attacker. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[27]

Reiko Aylesworth was one of the actresses who originally auditioned for the role of Olivia Benson.[28] Instead, she was cast as Assistant District Attorney Erica Alden, whom she played in the last three episodes of the season. In the season's penultimate episode, "Nocturne," Kent Broadhurst played Lawrence Holt, a piano teacher who molests his students. Wilson Jermaine Heredia played Evan, Holt's student and victim, who knows more about Holt's crimes than he lets on.[29]

Production

Development

An older man wearing a light jacket over a blue shirt. He is looking toward the camera while speaking in a microphone.
Dick Wolf is the creator and executive producer of this series.

Inspiration for the series came from a 1986 murder in Central Park committed by Robert Emmet Chambers whose strategy in court was to sexualize the victim.[30] The season one episode of Law & Order, "Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die" is based on this case. Dick Wolf wanted to continue exploring similar themes in a dedicated legal drama and hired Ted Kotcheff and Robert Palm as executive producers of the new series, as well as Jean de Segonzac, the franchise director for Law & Order. Robert Palm was previously an executive producer on Law & Order and was the first person to use the term "mothership" to distinguish the original from its spin-offs.[31] This phrase has become popular with fans of the franchise.

Unlike the original Law & Order, filming for SVU began in North Bergen, New Jersey since there was not enough real estate available to get a studio in Manhattan. The production staff were still told to think of the area as being Manhattan.[26] 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.[31] 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.[1]

Casting

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.[28] Hargitay, who had to move from Los Angeles to New York when she got the role, said she was able to do this on short notice because she was already planning on moving to New York to pursue a Broadway career.[32] The squad commander role was filled by Dann Florek, who had portrayed Captain Don Cragen for the first three seasons on the original Law & Order and later reprised his role in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie. He joined the cast on the condition that he not be asked to audition.[1] Richard Belzer was cast as Detective John Munch, continuing his role from the series Homicide: Life on the Street. In Belzer's words, he was cast because "Dick Wolf and Tom Fontana got drunk at a party".[33] Halfway through the season, Richard Belzer reprised his role of Munch in Homicide: The Movie, which briefly shows his character out on a case in his SVU context in New York. At Belzer's insistence, his character was partnered with Brian Cassidy, who was portrayed by Dean Winters. However, Winters' contractual obligation to the HBO series Oz forced him to leave halfway through the season. Michelle Hurd, who portrayed Detective Monique Jeffries, filled Winters' void for the remainder of the season, and was at that point added to the main credits.[34][35]

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 84% with an average score of 7.5 out of 10 based on 43 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, “Special Victims Unit often blurs the line between socially conscious and exploitative, but Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni's terse chemistry adds a dimension of personality to the absorbing Law & Order formula.[36] Metacritic gave the season a score a weighted average based on the impression of 22 critical reviews—of 68 signifying generally favorable reviews.[37] The pilot episode was generally well received however, Caryn James of The New York Times said that "the show swiftly finds its balance. Not every series lends itself to cloning, but the essential qualities of Law and Order seem made for it: headline-generated stories resolved in self-contained episodes; a no-nonsense tone; a cast large enough to vary the focus." but after a few episodes, "the show swiftly finds its balance. Not every series lends itself to cloning, but the essential qualities of Law and Order seem made for it: headline-generated stories resolved in self-contained episodes; a no-nonsense tone; a cast large enough to vary the focus."[38]

Bruce Fretts of Entertainment Weekly said that season one was "refreshingly dark-hearted alternative" and that it was "top-heavy with lightweight dramedies".[39] Joyce Millman of Salon.com said the season "melodramatic and manipulative, splattered with awkward attempts at comedy" , then she criticized the season progression, proclaiming "simultaneously soggy and crisp not an appealing combination however you slice it".[40]

Ratings

DVD release

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - The First Year was released as a widescreen 2-disc Region 1 DVD box set in the USA on October 21, 2003. It was distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

References

  1. ^ a b c Green and Dawn (2009), p. 23
  2. ^ ASIN B0000AVHCA, Law & Order Special Victims Unit - The First Year
  3. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 20–26)". The Los Angeles Times. September 29, 1999. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  4. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Sept. 27–Oct. 3)". The Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1999. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  5. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 4-10)". The Los Angeles Times. October 13, 1999. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  6. ^ "Prime-Time TV Rankings". The Los Angeles Times. October 20, 1999. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  7. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Oct. 18-24)". The Los Angeles Times. October 27, 1999. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  8. ^ Lowry, Brian (November 3, 1999). "Post-Series NBC Win, but Shows in Foul Territory". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  9. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 15-21)". The Los Angeles Times. November 24, 1999. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  10. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 22-28)". The Los Angeles Times. December 1, 1999. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  11. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Nov. 29-Dec. 5)". The Los Angeles Times. December 8, 1999. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  12. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 3-9)". The Los Angeles Times. January 12, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  13. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 10-16)". The Los Angeles Times. January 19, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  14. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 17-23)". The Los Angeles Times. January 26, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  15. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Jan. 31-Feb. 6)". The Los Angeles Times. February 9, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  16. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 7-13)". The Los Angeles Times. February 16, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  17. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 14-20)". The Los Angeles Times. February 24, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  18. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (Feb. 21-27)". The Los Angeles Times. March 1, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  19. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (March 27-April 2)". The Los Angeles Times. April 5, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  20. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 10–16)". The Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  21. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (April 24–30)". The Los Angeles Times. May 3, 2000. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  22. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 1–7)". The Los Angeles Times. May 10, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  23. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 8–14)". The Los Angeles Times. May 17, 2000. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  24. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 15–21)". The Los Angeles Times. May 24, 2000. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  25. ^ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 163
  26. ^ a b Green and Dawn (2009), p. 13
  27. ^ "SVU Emmy Nominations". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  28. ^ a b Green and Dawn (2009), p. 11
  29. ^ Ross, Ty (May 29, 2023). "The 10 Best 'Law & Order: SVU' Episodes, Ranked by IMDb". Collider.
  30. ^ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 2
  31. ^ a b Green and Dawn (2009), p. 5
  32. ^ "Mariska Hargitay Interview". Karastan. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  33. ^ Dick Wolf, Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Richard Belzer, Dann Florek (2003). Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Beginning. Universal Channel. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  34. ^ Stewart, Anita (April 17, 2022). "Why Dean Winters Left Law & Order: SVU - and How He Returned". CBR. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  35. ^ Anderson, Hayley (July 22, 2021). "Law and Order SVU: Why did Michelle Hurd leave as Monique Jeffries?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  36. ^ "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 1 - TV Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  37. ^ "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  38. ^ James, Caryn (September 20, 1999). "TELEVISION REVIEW; Sex Crimes Featured In a Spinoff Of Top Series". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  39. ^ Fretts, Bruce (September 30, 1999). "Special Victims Unit divides Law & Order devotees". Entertainment Weekly.
  40. ^ Millman, Joyce (October 18, 1999). "Busted!". Salon. Retrieved September 12, 2023.

Bibliography

  • Green, Susan; Dawn, Randee (2009). Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion. Dallas: BenBella Books. ISBN 978-1-933771-88-5.
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