8.6/10981 votes#1 - Devil's Dissections (1)
Season 17 Episode 1 - Aired 9/23/2015
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: N/A
8.6/101,036 votes#2 - Criminal Pathology (2)
Season 17 Episode 2 - Aired 9/23/2015
A serial killer reveals shocking new info and problems in the case mount as Barba faces slick lawyers in court.
Director: Alex Chapple
Writer: N/A
8.3/101,236 votes#3 - Transgender Bridge
Season 17 Episode 3 - Aired 9/30/2015
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.3/101,108 votes#4 - Institutional Fail
Season 17 Episode 4 - Aired 10/7/2015
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: N/A
7.8/10854 votes#5 - Community Policing
Season 17 Episode 5 - Aired 10/14/2015
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: N/A
7.6/10937 votes#6 - Maternal Instincts
Season 17 Episode 6 - Aired 10/21/2015
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/101,059 votes#7 - Patrimonial Burden
Season 17 Episode 7 - Aired 11/4/2015
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: N/A
7.8/10934 votes#8 - Melancholy Pursuit
Season 17 Episode 8 - Aired 11/11/2015
The search for a missing teenager takes an emotional toll on Dodd, DNA could lead to the teen's abductor.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/10960 votes#9 - Depravity Standard
Season 17 Episode 9 - Aired 11/18/2015
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
7.6/10910 votes#10 - Catfishing Teacher
Season 17 Episode 10 - Aired 1/6/2016
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
8.6/101,279 votes#11 - Townhouse Incident
Season 17 Episode 11 - Aired 1/13/2016
Benson is taken hostage when she tries to stop a home invasion.
Director: Nick Gomez
Writer: Brianna Yellen
7.4/10846 votes#12 - A Misunderstanding
Season 17 Episode 12 - Aired 1/20/2016
A murky he-said, she-said date rape case ruins the futures of two high school students.
Director: Mariska Hargitay
Writer: Céline C. Robinson
7.8/10815 votes#13 - Forty-One Witnesses
Season 17 Episode 13 - Aired 2/3/2016
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
8.2/10851 votes#14 - Nationwide Manhunt (I)
Season 17 Episode 14 - Aired 2/10/2016
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
Writer: Warren Leight, Julie Martin
8.6/101,003 votes#15 - Collateral Damages
Season 17 Episode 15 - Aired 2/17/2016
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
7.8/10979 votes#16 - Star-Struck Victims
Season 17 Episode 16 - Aired 2/24/2016
When a lack of evidence leads Barba to drop rape charges against a popular actor; Rollins takes matters into her own hands.
Director: N/A
Writer: A. Zell Williams
8.7/101,147 votes#17 - Manhattan Transfer
Season 17 Episode 17 - Aired 3/2/2016
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: N/A
8.5/101,072 votes#18 - Unholiest Alliance
Season 17 Episode 18 - Aired 3/23/2016
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: N/A
8.2/10775 votes#19 - Sheltered Outcasts
Season 17 Episode 19 - Aired 3/30/2016
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
7.8/10816 votes#20 - Fashionable Crimes
Season 17 Episode 20 - Aired 5/4/2016
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
Writer: Penelope Koechl, Jill Lorie Hurst
7.6/10857 votes#21 - Assaulting Reality
Season 17 Episode 21 - Aired 5/11/2016
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: N/A
8.5/101,022 votes#22 - Intersecting Lives (1)
Season 17 Episode 22 - Aired 5/18/2016
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
Writer: Warren Leight, Julie Martin
9.0/101,312 votes#23 - Heartfelt Passages (2)
Season 17 Episode 23 - Aired 5/25/2016
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
Writer: Warren Leight, Julie Martin
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!
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...
Genres:CrimeDramaMystery
Network:NBC
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 981 votes. Directed by Jean de Segonzac and written by N/A, it aired on 9/23/2015. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Criminal Pathology (2)".