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The Best Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit!

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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.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 21 Episode 14 - I Deserve Some Loving Too
    10.0/10(3 votes)

    #1 - I Deserve Some Loving Too

    S21:E14

    Rollins goes undercover to root out a government worker withholding green cards in exchange for sex.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 1 - Gimme Shelter (II)
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - Gimme Shelter (II)

    S24:E1

    A girl is shot and Cosgrove teams with Det. Jalen Shaw to track down her killer. Benson and Stabler assist and realize it's more than a typical homicide. McCoy and Price seek justice against an international crime ring. The crossover begins on Law & Order: Organized Crime S03E01 Gimme Shelter (I). It continues on Law & Order S22E01 Gimme Shelter (III).

    Director:Jean de Segonzac
    Writers:Rick Eid, Gwen Sigan

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  3. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 17 - Deep Under
    10.0/10(3 votes)

    #3 - Deep Under

    S27:E17

    Benson is shocked to find undercover Detective Velasco at the center of a sex trafficking bust. When more women are smuggled into the city, a rescued victim begs SVU to help save her sister.

    Director:Juan José Campanella
    Writer:Nicholas Evangelista

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  4. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 20 Episode 10 - Alta Kockers
    9.7/10(3 votes)

    #4 - Alta Kockers

    S20:E10

    The investigation into a promising new author's death leads to a decades-old secret kept between two reclusive brothers.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Michael S. Chernuchin

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  5. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 25 Episode 9 - Children of Wolves
    9.7/10(6 votes)

    #5 - Children of Wolves

    S25:E9

    A teenager found unconscious in the park leads to a missing persons investigation. Benson must help Noah come to terms with the past when he questions the origins of his birth.

    Director:Mariska Hargitay
    Writers:Julie Martin, David Graziano

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  6. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 19 Episode 9 - Gone Baby Gone
    9.6/10(5 votes)

    #6 - Gone Baby Gone

    S19:E9

    Emotions run high as the SVU squad embarks on a frantic search for Benson's missing son.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac
    Writers:Lawrence Kaplow, Elizabeth Rinehart

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

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  7. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 22 Episode 14 - Post-Graduate Psychopath
    9.6/10(7 votes)

    #7 - Post-Graduate Psychopath

    S22:E14

    Rollins must revisit an old case when a child sent to juvenile detention is released after his 18th birthday.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 21 Episode 12 - The Longest Night of Rain
    9.5/10(4 votes)

    #8 - The Longest Night of Rain

    S21:E12

    Benson investigates a police officer's accusations of sexual assault. Captain Tucker's retirement party ends in tragedy.

    Director:Michael Smith
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 22 Episode 6 - The Long Arm of the Witness
    9.5/10(2 votes)

    #9 - The Long Arm of the Witness

    S22:E6

    Carisi takes on a powerful judge when he inexplicably dismisses the rape case of a university student.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 15 - King of the Moon
    9.5/10(4 votes)

    #10 - King of the Moon

    S24:E15

    A man with dementia confesses to murder, but Benson and Carisi believe there's more to the case; when rumors swirl around the squad room, Fin presses Velasco for the truth.

    Director:Mariska Hargitay
    Writers:Julie Martin, David Graziano

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  11. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 25 Episode 4 - Duty to Report
    9.5/10(4 votes)

    #11 - Duty to Report

    S25:E4

    When Chief McGrath's daughter discloses a sexual assault, Benson must balance the intricacies of the investigation with McGrath's impulsive actions.

    Director:Juan José Campanella
    Writers:Kathy Dobie, Candice Sanchez McFarlane

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  12. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 13 - Corrosive
    9.5/10(3 votes)

    #12 - Corrosive

    S27:E13

    An attempt on a respected judge's life is connected to an anonymous video posted to the SVU tip line. Rollins tries to help a victim come to terms with their abuse.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Brant Englestein

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  13. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 3 Episode 22 - Competence
    9.3/10(10 votes)

    #13 - Competence

    S3:E22

    A mentally challenged girl with Down's Syndrome is pregnant, and the question is, was she raped or did she consent and is she competent enough to keep her child?

    Director:Jud Taylor
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 16 Episode 20 - Daydream Believer (III)
    9.3/10(12 votes)

    #14 - Daydream Believer (III)

    S16:E20

    A Chicago crime resembles a decade-old New York City case, so police from Chicago arrive and team up with the squad to track down a suspect they had to release earlier. The crossover starts on Chicago Fire S03E21 We Called Her Jellybean (I) and Chicago P.D. S02E20 The Number of Rats (II).

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 23 Episode 1 - And the Empire Strikes Back
    9.3/10(6 votes)

    #15 - And the Empire Strikes Back

    S23:E1

    Benson's loyalty to Garland is tested. Rollins and Carisi try to keep their witnesses on board when a powerful congressman is identified as a suspect.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight, Bryan Goluboff

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  16. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 23 Episode 17 - Once Upon a Time in El Barrio
    9.3/10(3 votes)

    #16 - Once Upon a Time in El Barrio

    S23:E17

    Velasco asks Benson for help finding three girls who were trafficked from his hometown to New York City.

    Director:Oscar Rene Lozoya II
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 16 - The Newsroom
    9.2/10(5 votes)

    #17 - The Newsroom

    S18:E16

    Benson and Barba ask witnesses to put their jobs on the line after a news anchor makes an on-air disclosure of rape against her boss.

    Director:Jono Oliver
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 10 - Jumped In
    9.2/10(5 votes)

    #18 - Jumped In

    S24:E10

    When Benson becomes the target of a ruthless gang leader, Capt. Duarte takes the case. Fin works with the Bronx SVU to help clear their case backlog. Sgt. Dixon offers to translate when a deaf student is raped.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 22 - All Pain Is One Malady (III)
    9.2/10(6 votes)

    #19 - All Pain Is One Malady (III)

    S24:E22

    Benson and Stabler combine forces on a global revenge-for-hire case. Fin and Bruno help a victim assaulted a second time. Jet's plan to hack the dark web backfires and puts the team in danger. The crossover starts on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S24E21 Bad Things (I) and Law & Order: Organized Crime S03E21 Shadowërk (II). It continues on Law & Order: Organized Crime S03E22 With Many Names (IV).

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writers:Julie Martin, David Graziano

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  20. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 1 - Fractured
    9.2/10(15 votes)

    #20 - Fractured

    S26:E1

    The SVU investigates a brutal attack on a group of law students. Benson hopes the discovery of a hidden camera will crack the case open. Carisi's best chance at conviction is catching the defendant in a lie.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writers:Julie Martin, David Graziano

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  21. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 20 - Shock Collar
    9.2/10(6 votes)

    #21 - Shock Collar

    S26:E20

    When a car with a young girl in the backseat is stolen, the SVU investigates whether it was a crime of opportunity or a targeted abduction.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 12 - Hubris
    9.2/10(3 votes)

    #22 - Hubris

    S27:E12

    A teenager rescued from a dangerous situation begs Benson to help reunite her with her father. Carisi and CJ take the foster system to task for separating families without sufficient proof.

    Director:Juan José Campanella
    Writer:Michele Fazekas

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  23. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 5 Episode 20 - Lowdown
    9.0/10(7 votes)

    #23 - Lowdown

    S5:E20

    Detectives try to decipher a motive for the strangulation of a Bronx assistant DA in an area where hookers stroll. When the death of the prosecutor looks staged using information gleaned from a co-worker's caseload, Novak endangers her career to obtain a confession.

    Director:Jud Taylor
    Writer:Robert Nathan

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  24. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 14 Episode 20 - Girl Dishonored
    9.0/10(5 votes)

    #24 - Girl Dishonored

    S14:E20

    As the SVU detectives investigate the alleged rape of a sorority pledge, drunken students, and conflicting accounts complicate matters.

    Director:Holly Dale
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 12 - A Misunderstanding
    9.0/10(6 votes)

    #25 - A Misunderstanding

    S17:E12

    A murky he-said, she-said date rape case ruins the futures of two high school students.

    Director:Mariska Hargitay
    Writer:Céline C. Robinson

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Best Episodes Summary

"I Deserve Some Loving Too" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". It scored 10/10 based on 3 votes. Directed by Jean de Segonzac and written by Unknown, it aired on 2/13/2020. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Gimme Shelter (II)".