Parents' Guide to

Law & Order: SVU

By Liz Perle, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Grisly, sensationalized sex crimes; not meant for kids.

TV NBC, Syndicated Drama 1999
Law & Order: SVU Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 36 parent reviews

blackheart4812
blackheart4812 Adult
August 25, 2022
age 12+

I do think though the show does have good role models like it has a good role model standard with like just how strong and how hard they work at their job and with like Olivia Benson and Rollins until she leaves they're strong characters they have their kids they're single moms they are and they work and they take care of their children they take good care of their kids and they work hard they're good at their jobs and they're good role models and I also think parisi he was a detective and then went to Ada like he had been like he decided he wanted to that's also a good message if you want something go for it it sounds good messages and it has good role models and it's not it's not just all the crime of it they have messages like they really are like a family and they fight for each other and when something happens they've got each other's backs when someone's having a hard time they're right there with them and that's a good message that's just a good message to be loyal to friends which they all seem to be

I like this show I've watched the show since I was 6 years old I love it but what I don't like is how they keep taking out all of the good people in it they took out Elliot stabler seasons back season 12 or 13 and they took cat to me away in the last season season 23 and now in the upcoming 24th season they're going to take Amanda Rollins away I don't like how they keep taking all the good strong character size especially the females like cat and now Rollins I don't like how they're taking out all the good characters male female I don't care if they would stop taking them all out like they're taking Amanda Rollins out now why. why is Rollins leaving the show why is detective Rollins leaving she is a strong character he's been there since season 13 has changed so much we've watched her character grow we've watched her since season 13 grow become stronger and have two little girls Jesse and Billy her storyline is not over there is still more room to expand her storyline. There is more for her to do on the show so why is she leaving the show there is still way more that that character could it's not right how they keep taking them all out why why are they taking out Rollins why is she leaving what are they going to do with her role they just announced detective Rollins and ADA carisi they just got serious so why is she leaving now now that they have gotten serious why is she leaving she still has more room to grow her and carisi there's more room for them to grow as a couple as a family with her two daughters there's still more room for her to grow why is she leaving is there a reason that she's leaving or she just being rude out because they want to make a cast change or she being rode out because they don't want to come up with anything else for her role why there's many more things I could do with her character with her role with her part in the show I was really looking forward to watching them grow as a couple and watch them grow as a family with her two little girls and now she's leaving where's that going to leave her in carisi where is that going to leave their relationship are they going to stay together and they keep bringing updates about her and her two little girls through carisi or are they just going to break up and be done with like it always ends up going with these couples once one leaves they always just end up breaking and leaving and you never hear about the character again that's how it always happens will she come back every so often as maybe a guest star and make appearances regularly not just once or twice and it's gone for good who made the choice for her to leave why did they make the choice for it to leave she is an amazing character on there she's one of the stronger roles one of the stronger characters she's one of the more crazy less rational but persistent rolls one of the people that really care about the job so why are they writing her out because there's more room for her to grow there's more room for the relationship between her and the Ada carisse to grow for them to become a family with her two daughters there's still more room for her character to grow into expand what happened is my question why is she leaving what happened with her character but I really wish that they would change their mind or something and she would not leave the show they wouldn't write her off they keep her on the show and she continue staying the character Amanda Rollins and continue to grow the relationship between her and carisi continue to grow the family with Rollins carisi and her two daughters Jesse and Billy continue being the great detective being greater job continue growing as a character as a person on the show other that the show it is so good I love watching it.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
derobb86
derobb86 Parent of 7, 8, 13, 14 and 16-year-old
April 14, 2022
age 17+
Well I saw an episode today and I wasn't too happy cuz I was more mad at my wife for she was wanting time to herself and she's trying to get the kids out of the living room and she wanted to watch her law and order for me we got ages 16 all the way to 7 for ages and right away somebody was on a train and getting from behind kind of thing raped and our oldest daughter already went through this kind of thing something happened to her and this made me extremely uncomfortable and I don't care for the show completely but I don't want it subjected to my kids either I feel the age thing should be higher

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 36 parent reviews

What's the Story?

LAW & ORDER: SVU centers on "the elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes" -- known as the Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department. Detectives Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Olivia Benson are seasoned cops who investigate some of the city's most difficult and perverse crimes. Also assigned to their department is Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer) and his partner, Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola (played by rapper Ice-T). Headed up by Captain Donald Cragen (Dan Florek), the detectives work hard to solve an endless array of disturbing and violent sex crimes with the help of Assistant district attorney Casey Novak (Diane Neal), forensic psychiatrist George Huang (B.D. Wong), and medical examiner Melinda Warner (Tamara Tunie).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (36):
Kids say (54):

After 17+ seasons, the sensational series consistently combines the suspense of the investigative process with the graphic details of disconcerting and sinister sex crimes to create narratives that are entertainingly disturbing. Unlike other installments of the Law & Order franchise, many of the stories are somehow connected to the characters' personal lives, which serves to heighten the emotional nature of the show. Adding to the drama are the performances delivered by a lengthy roster of guest stars over the years, including Robin Williams, Kathy Griffin, Sarah Hyland, and Serena Williams.

Law & Order: SVU has seen its fair share of cast members come and go. But despite the changing characters (played by folks like Michelle Hurd, Stephanie March, Adam Beach, Peter Scanavino, Dean Winters, and Kelli Giddish), the integrity of the show remains intact thanks to its commitment to telling a good story. Whether you tune in to the early seasons, or find yourself watching later ones, the overall series is consistently compelling.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the natures of the crimes featured on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. What are some of the psychological consequences of some of the show's frequent themes? Are these crimes common? Who do they impact the most?

  • TV procedurals like Law & Order: SVU feature a range of criminal behaviors that range from being disturbing to extremely violent. Is featuring these crimes in a fictional series bringing attention to them, or just sensationalizing them? Why?

TV Details

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