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The Best Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17

Every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17!

Binge this in 16h 29m•Peaking at 9.0/10

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
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 1 - Devil's Dissections (1)
    8.6/10(1149 votes)

    #1 - Devil's Dissections (1)

    S17:E1

    The squad revisit a crime scene where bodies were buried by a serial killer. Rollins tries to get a confession, but the killer reveals shocking new info instead.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 2 - Criminal Pathology (2)
    8.5/10(1198 votes)

    #2 - Criminal Pathology (2)

    S17:E2

    A serial killer reveals shocking new info and problems in the case mount as Barba faces slick lawyers in court.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 3 - Transgender Bridge
    8.3/10(1411 votes)

    #3 - Transgender Bridge

    S17:E3

    When a transgender teen is assaulted by high school bullies, the case quickly escalates to tragedy, and the squad agonizes over whether the punishment fits the crime.

    Director:Arthur W. Forney
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 4 - Institutional Fail
    8.3/10(1264 votes)

    #4 - Institutional Fail

    S17:E4

    A malnourished toddler is found wandering and leads police to another ill child from the same home. The investigation eventually lands the Department of Child Services in hot water. Meanwhile, Chief Dodds tells Benson to expect some changes at her squad.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 5 - Community Policing
    7.7/10(990 votes)

    #5 - Community Policing

    S17:E5

    An unarmed black man is shot by three police officers who claim they were following proper procedure while pursuing a rape suspect. As racial tensions mount throughout the city, Barba indicts the three cops.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 6 - Maternal Instincts
    7.5/10(1081 votes)

    #6 - Maternal Instincts

    S17:E6

    A violinist is raped by her colleague, but he doesn't remember committing the crime and claims he was drugged and robbed by a hired escort. Meanwhile, Rollins' mother throws a baby shower for her; and Sgt. Mike Dodds reports to work at the SVU squad.

    Director:Michael Pressman
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 7 - Patrimonial Burden
    8.1/10(1199 votes)

    #7 - Patrimonial Burden

    S17:E7

    When a pious TV family's reputation is shattered by a teen pregnancy scandal, SVU uncovers the reality behind the reality show.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 8 - Melancholy Pursuit
    7.7/10(1060 votes)

    #8 - Melancholy Pursuit

    S17:E8

    The search for a missing teenager takes an emotional toll on Dodd, DNA could lead to the teen's abductor.

    Director:Michael Pressman
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 9 - Depravity Standard
    7.2/10(1087 votes)

    #9 - Depravity Standard

    S17:E9

    Lt. Benson seeks justice in the trial of child abductor Lewis Hodda, but when a plea deal is rejected, Barba must rely on decades-old evidence to make his case and faces off against former SVU colleague Dr. Huang.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Ed Zuckerman

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  10. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 10 - Catfishing Teacher
    7.6/10(1046 votes)

    #10 - Catfishing Teacher

    S17:E10

    A high school student plans a clandestine hookup with his female teacher but ends up in a far more sinister situation.

    Director:Michael Slovis
    Writer:Kevin Fox

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  11. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 11 - Townhouse Incident
    8.6/10(1441 votes)

    #11 - Townhouse Incident

    S17:E11

    Benson is taken hostage when she tries to stop a home invasion.

    Director:Nick Gomez
    Writer:Brianna Yellen

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  12. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 12 - A Misunderstanding
    7.4/10(978 votes)

    #12 - 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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  13. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 13 - Forty-One Witnesses
    7.7/10(946 votes)

    #13 - Forty-One Witnesses

    S17:E13

    A woman is followed home and raped outside her building, where several neighbors witness the crime but fail to call for help.

    Director:Michael Pressman
    Writer:Robert Brooks Cohen

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  14. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 14 - Nationwide Manhunt (I)
    8.1/10(998 votes)

    #14 - Nationwide Manhunt (I)

    S17:E14

    Chicago P.D. detectives Lindsay and Dawson join the SVU in the hunt for two escaped murderers they helped to convict. The crossover continues on Chicago P.D. S03E14 The Song of Gregory Williams Yates (II).

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writers:Warren Leight, Julie Martin

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  15. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 15 - Collateral Damages
    8.6/10(1148 votes)

    #15 - Collateral Damages

    S17:E15

    Two high-profile suspects are arrested in the takedown of an online pedophile ring following a sting operation.

    Director:Rosemary Rodriguez
    Writer:Samantha Corbin-Miller

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  16. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 16 - Star-Struck Victims
    7.7/10(1116 votes)

    #16 - Star-Struck Victims

    S17:E16

    When a lack of evidence leads Barba to drop rape charges against a popular actor; Rollins takes matters into her own hands.

    Director:Michael Pressman
    Writer:A. Zell Williams

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  17. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 17 - Manhattan Transfer
    8.6/10(1288 votes)

    #17 - Manhattan Transfer

    S17:E17

    A sexual exploitation case involving Catholic schoolgirls results in surprising charges against people in esteemed leadership positions, including judges, lawmakers, lawyers and cops.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 18 - Unholiest Alliance
    8.4/10(1210 votes)

    #18 - Unholiest Alliance

    S17:E18

    When one of their own is implicated in a cover-up, the SVU struggles to unravel a sex trafficking operation deeply-rooted in government offices, the police department, and the Catholic Church.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 19 - Sheltered Outcasts
    8.1/10(900 votes)

    #19 - Sheltered Outcasts

    S17:E19

    Detective Carisi lives undercover at a homeless shelter to determine if one of its sex offender residents is the suspect in a string of neighborhood rapes.

    Director:Mariska Hargitay
    Writer:Ed Zuckerman

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  20. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 20 - Fashionable Crimes
    7.7/10(941 votes)

    #20 - Fashionable Crimes

    S17:E20

    A young model is raped by a renowned fashion house photographer, who looks to his successful brother to make the charges disappear.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writers:Penelope Koechl, Jill Lorie Hurst

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  21. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 21 - Assaulting Reality
    7.5/10(977 votes)

    #21 - Assaulting Reality

    S17:E21

    The producers of a reality TV dating series make Benson and the SVU team part of the show when they investigate a contestant's claim that she was raped.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 22 - Intersecting Lives (1)
    8.5/10(1174 votes)

    #22 - Intersecting Lives (1)

    S17:E22

    A corrections officer is arrested for sexually assaulting female inmates in and out of prison, and the union that supports him targets Barba and the SVU.

    Director:Jonathan Starch
    Writers:Warren Leight, Julie Martin

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  23. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 23 - Heartfelt Passages (2)
    9.0/10(1498 votes)

    #23 - Heartfelt Passages (2)

    S17:E23

    When the investigation of Corrections Officer Gary Munson deepens, he and his union take drastic actions that threaten the lives of ADA Barba and the SVU squad.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writers:Warren Leight, Julie Martin

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Season 17 Ratings Summary

"Devil's Dissections (1)" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" season 17. It scored 8.6/10 based on 1149 votes. Directed by Jean de Segonzac and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/23/2015. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Criminal Pathology (2)".