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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!

Binge this in 17d 8h•Peaking at 9.3/10

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
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    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 7 Episode 3 - 911
    9.3/10(2801 votes)

    #1 - 911

    S7:E3

    Benson is on her way out for the evening when a call comes in from a little girl who says she's all alone. While trying to draw the girl out, Benson is drawn deeper into the little girl's life, and although the other officers begin to suspect the whole thing may be some sick joke, Benson is convinced that the little girl is the real deal. By talking to Maria, Benson is able to ferret enough information from her so that they have a place to start, but Maria's captor has an affinity for electronics and has done everything he can to make sure that no one can find the little girl he bought and paid for.

    Director:Ted Kotcheff
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 1 - In the Wind
    9.3/10(7 votes)

    #2 - In the Wind

    S27:E1

    Danger swirls around the squad as they investigate a suspect for rape and try to protect their key witness. A new chief of detectives puts Benson to the test. An off-duty Fin tries to stop an assault in progress.

    Director:Brenna Malloy
    Writer:Michele Fazekas

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  3. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 8 - Showdown
    9.2/10(2 votes)

    #3 - Showdown

    S27:E8

    When a man claims his girlfriend was kidnapped, Bruno investigates the holes in his story. Tynan comes down hard on Benson after a disagreement. Griffin must defend his police work on the stand.

    Director:Juan José Campanella
    Writer:Kevin J. Hynes

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  4. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 5 Episode 4 - Loss
    9.0/10(1503 votes)

    #4 - Loss

    S5:E4

    A female undercover agent for the DEA is raped and murdered, leading to a complicated investigation and the arrest of a suspect highly connected with a Colombian drug cartel. This is the toughest case of Cabot's career as she is faced with death threats on herself and her family along with pressure to yield the case to federal authorities.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 9 Episode 15 - Undercover
    9.0/10(1758 votes)

    #5 - Undercover

    S9:E15

    After a woman was found raped in a garden, Benson and Stabler realize that the case goes much deeper because of the victim's mother, drugs, and the realization that a corrections officer is involved. Benson decides to go undercover at the same prison where the mother is, putting herself on the other side of the fence.

    Director:David Platt
    Writer:Mark Goffman

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  6. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 9 Episode 17 - Authority
    9.0/10(2268 votes)

    #6 - Authority

    S9:E17

    An engineer plays a series of mind games with Benson and Stabler.

    Director:David Platt
    Writer:Neal Baer

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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 12 Episode 3 - Behave
    9.0/10(1685 votes)

    #7 - Behave

    S12:E3

    A woman who has been raped multiple times is afraid to leave her house. The issue of unopened rape kits will see Detective Olivia Benson travel from New York City to Los Angeles.

    Director:Helen Shaver
    Writer:Jonathan Greene

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  8. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 Episode 23 - Heartfelt Passages (2)
    9.0/10(1432 votes)

    #8 - 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:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

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  9. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 5 - Feed the Craving
    9.0/10(3 votes)

    #9 - Feed the Craving

    S27:E5

    When a woman in active labor is abducted, Rollins and Curry look to her doula for an account of events. Carisi tries to get a confession in front of the jury.

    Director:Brenna Malloy
    Writer:Roxanne Paredes

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  10. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 7 - False Idols
    9.0/10(3 votes)

    #10 - False Idols

    S27:E7

    The SVU must determine fact from fantasy when a famous author twists the details of a serious crime. Fin has a challenging day at work.

    Director:Steve Boyum
    Writer:Justine Ferrara

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  11. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 6 Episode 6 - Conscience
    8.9/10(1747 votes)

    #11 - Conscience

    S6:E6

    The detectives and the district attorney get played first by the teenage murderer of a young boy, and then by the victim's father, who uses his professional expertise to escape punishment for avenging his son's death.

    Director:David Platt
    Writer:Roger Wolfson

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  12. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 7 Episode 6 - Raw
    8.9/10(1802 votes)

    #12 - Raw

    S7:E6

    After a six-year-old boy dies in a school shooting, detectives trace the gun used back to a white supremacist's gun shop. Munch and Tutuola both face hatred and prejudice from the major suspects in the case, but their investigation soon takes them from the man who pulled the trigger back to the gun shop owner, who makes no bones about his hatred of anyone who isn't white.

    Director:Jonathan Kaplan
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 14 Episode 9 - Dreams Deferred
    8.9/10(1464 votes)

    #13 - Dreams Deferred

    S14:E9

    A man goes on a killing spree, but he has links to a prostitute that Benson encountered in an earlier investigation, so the FBI contacts SVU for information.

    Director:Michael Smith
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

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  14. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 6 Episode 4 - Scavenger
    8.8/10(1610 votes)

    #14 - Scavenger

    S6:E4

    The entire squad races against the clock to solve the puzzles and uncover the clues scattered throughout the city by a serial killer who is taunting them to find him and the next victims on his list.

    Director:Daniel Sackheim
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 8 Episode 22 - Screwed
    8.8/10(1455 votes)

    #15 - Screwed

    S8:E22

    Darius Parker, goes on trial for the rape and murder of a woman and her 14-month old child. The case brings Fin under fire from the media and even has Munch and Stabler at odds. Novak prosecutes the trial that brings Stabler and Tutuola, among others, to the stand. Many previous stories are brought into the trial.

    Director:Arthur W. Forney
    Writer:Judith McCreary

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  16. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 10 Episode 21 - Liberties
    8.8/10(1289 votes)

    #16 - Liberties

    S10:E21

    A favor for a judge who is hearing a harassment case sends Stabler and Benson to interview a death-row serial killer in order to determine the fate of his son.

    Director:Juan José Campanella
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 10 Episode 22 - Zebras
    8.8/10(1596 votes)

    #17 - Zebras

    S10:E22

    A murder in Central Park that involves a tourist puts the SVU on high alert, but when the suspect they've brought in for questioning escapes, Munch has to reach out to an ex-wife in an effort to prevent another killing that's closer to home.

    Director:Peter Leto
    Writer:Daniel Truly

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  18. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 11 Episode 12 - Shadow
    8.8/10(1465 votes)

    #18 - Shadow

    S11:E12

    When a rich and powerful couple with political connections is found murdered in their bedroom, Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler decide to speak to the deceased couple's daughter, Anne, for more information. After hearing Anne's account of a nefarious man who has been following her, the detectives soon discover that Anne's supposed stalker is none other than Detective Ash Ramsey of the Special Frauds division. Convinced that Anne killed her parents for their money, Ramsey becomes suspicious of Anne's business manager and is led to believe that he helped her steal money from the foundation she runs. When blackmail and embezzlement come into play, the detectives find that their lives may be at risk over a girl with some serious parent issues.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 14 Episode 19 - Born Psychopath
    8.8/10(1460 votes)

    #19 - Born Psychopath

    S14:E19

    The SVU detectives investigate after a school nurse notices multiple injuries on a young girl; Detective Amaro tries to bond with his recently discovered son.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

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  20. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 14 Episode 24 - Her Negotiation
    8.8/10(1252 votes)

    #20 - Her Negotiation

    S14:E24

    The detectives uncover a shocking theory as they work to learn the identity of a man Rollins arrested for exposing himself in the park.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

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  21. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 15 Episode 1 - Surrender Benson
    8.8/10(1681 votes)

    #21 - Surrender Benson

    S15:E1

    The SVU squad searches for Detective Benson and her abductor.

    Director:Michael Smith
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

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  22. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 8 - Cornered
    8.8/10(585 votes)

    #22 - Cornered

    S26:E8

    Carisi tries to protect two women taken hostage in a tense standoff between police and a violent thief. Benson and Rollins devise a risky plan to get everyone to safety.

    Director:Juan José Campanella
    Writers:Julie Martin, David Graziano

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  23. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 6 - Under the Influence
    8.8/10(2 votes)

    #23 - Under the Influence

    S27:E6

    The squad investigates an assault at a house party where no one can identify the assailant. When two suspects are detained for questioning, Rollins takes the chance to turn one against the other.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writer:Nicholas Evangelista

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  24. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 2 Episode 15 - Countdown
    8.7/10(1116 votes)

    #24 - Countdown

    S2:E15

    The detectives become a little edgy after working around the clock to find an abducted girl when clues point to a serial murderer and rapist who kills his victims on the third day. After trapping the killer, they are prepared to give him the death penalty until they find out that one of his victims was never found and he offers her location as a plea bargain.

    Director:Steve Shill
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 2 Episode 18 - Manhunt
    8.7/10(1063 votes)

    #25 - Manhunt

    S2:E18

    The details of a kidnapping are similar to a series of rapes and murders that may link the crime to a serial killer.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"911" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". It scored 9.3/10 based on 2801 votes. Directed by Ted Kotcheff and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/4/2005. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "In the Wind".