I Ranked The 23 Seasons Of "Law & Order: SVU," And It Was Unbelievably Challenging
People have comfort shows, but only those with A1 taste count THEE TV procedural, Law & Order: SVU as their show to turn to.
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Courtesy of many cable TV channels with regular day and weekend-long marathons, SVU is one of a special group of shows that you could realistically binge before streaming was a thing.
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Only those with true taste understand that SVU gives their viewers everything: friendship, drama, crime that surprises and tugs at heartstrings all at once.
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It's important to note that there's no such thing as a perfect TV show, and when you've had one running for 20+ seasons, some things won't age well. SVU certainly has its faults.
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After over two decades and 500+ episodes, I've got some strong feelings about how the 23 seasons of SVU rank. Here they are, from worst to best.
23.Season 23
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Maybe it just needs some time to grow on me. The show also celebrated 500 episodes during the season, but it also saw the end of Rollins and still felt like it was in a little bit of a COVID funk.
22.Season 21
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The 21st season was cut a little short due to the pandemic, but it still made SVU the longest-running US primetime drama television series. The action of the season showed Benson become captain and Carisi become ADA, which brought some shifts that seemed to be moving the show in a good direction.
21.Season 18
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Season 18 starts to deal with shifting attitudes around policing and the changing societal landscape, which was fitting for a show airing in 2016. While it did a little catching up with the real world, it felt like a flat season overall.
20.Season 6
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In season 6, Mariska Hargitay became the first regular cast member of any Law & Order series to win a Golden Globe. It's a season that also included three young guest stars giving incredible performances: Hayden Panettierre, Abigail Breslin, and Jennette McCurdy.
19.Season 3
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This season was the first after 9/11. It was the season where many fans felt like the show started hitting its stride, balancing storylines about cases and starting to delve further into the detectives' lives.
18.Season 17
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Season 17 has some heartwarming moments, but it also puts our faves THROUGH IT. Benson deserves more than the hand she's dealt. That said, it has one of the best season finales in the series for sure.
17.Season 20
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The 20th season of SVU was special not only in the show's history but in television history. This season tied the series with Gunsmoke as the longest running scripted, non-animated US primetime series, but some fans wondered if it was time to hang it up as the show started to take stances on polarizing issues.
16.Season 12
15.Season 22
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This show has asked us to suspend disbelief countless times. Couldn't we suspend it one more time and skip the whole pandemic in the SVUniverse? That being said, Season 22 was saved by bringing back the one and only Elliot Stabler, and for that, it gets some credit.
14.Season 15
13.Season 14
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The addition of Rafael Barba breathed some fresh life into the cast, and with Amaro and Rollins better established, this season gave fans faith in life after Stabler. The Cragen storyline was also an emotional rollercoaster for longtime fans.
12.Season 2
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Season 2 was when the ADAs came in and became one of the most crucial parts of the show, which now followed cases into the courtroom. It's also the season that introduces Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola and B.D. Wong as George Huang, two indisputable fan faves.
11.Season 13
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Olivia was not the only one sobbing when this season opened with the news that Stabler was gone. The cast also lost B.D. Wong, so a lot of the season was about filling in the blanks and finding their footing again without two strong personalities. The addition of Amaro and Rollins brought a little something extra, but it definitely took a while for the two to settle into the squad room.
10.Season 16
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With both Munch and Cragen gone, this season once again feels like new territory, but it did bring the true delight that is Dominick Carisi. It also gives us the complicated moment that sees Benson finally get the title she's wanted all along: mom.
9.Season 11
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A lot of fans see Season 11 as the season where there's a real shift in Stabler that sets the scene for his eventual exit. Some people have also noted that this season has one too many comedic notes, whether intended or not, which ruin the immersion into the show if you're in it for the crime aspect.
8.Season 19
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This season feels like one of the most solid of the post-Benson-Stabler era. Fin finally gets the recognition he deserves, and we get to see some great development of his and Olivia's relationship, plus some moments that really warm viewers up to some other members of the cast. Storylines started to focus on headline-making stories in a way the early seasons did, though the vibe feels completely different.
7.Season 5
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Season 5 brings the Alex Cabot-Casey Novak switch and the series' 100th episode. The show started tackling some more controversial, complicated cases, making for a solid season.
6.Season 4
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Season 4 sees the mid-crime intensity pick up with some big chases, but also has lulls because of the twists and turns connected to the featured crimes. It's a little more cerebral, which can pull in some viewers but lose others.
5. Season 8
Season 8 had some struggles with the tension in Benson and Stabler's relationship (while filming during the end half of Mariska Hargitay's pregnancy). Once that was squared away, the season delved more into Olivia's past with the introduction of her half-brother, Simon Marsden. The highs were high, and the lows were low in this one.
4.Season 1
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We all have to start somewhere, right? Season 1 doesn't have quite the same rhythm as the rest, but it sets the scene and lays the foundations of the characters we'd grow more and more obsessed with each passing season. There are also plenty of guest appearances from other Law & Order series.
3.Season 9
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SVU bingers will tell you that Season 9 suffers for being short due to the '07-'08 writers' strike, because otherwise, it's pretty great. With the biggest main cast of any season, there were a lot of intriguing episodes (and plenty of Stabler family drama). This season also has an unforgettable guest appearance by Robin Williams.
2.Season 10
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Bringing back Alex Cabot led to a lot of great moments in a season that made it clear that Law & Order: SVU was built to last. The season did a good job of mixing relevant subject matter with some great character development. It's pretty underrated as far as the middle seasons go.
1.Season 7
Season 7 was the show's top season awards-wise, with Mariska Hargitay winning her first Emmy for playing Olivia Benson. It's also the first time viewers were given a taste of a Benson and Stabler-free show when Benson asks for a new partner. The season also features some real moments that go there, including Stabler going undercover as a sex offender.