Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Season 9
Premieres: Tuesday, September 25th at 10:00 p.m. EST
Network: NBC
Creator(s): Dick Wolf
Starring: Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hartigay, Richard Belzer, Diane Neal, Ice-T, B.D. Wong, Tamara Tunie, Adam Beach, Dann Floreck
Website: NBC.com
When SVU premiered in 1999, it was the first Law & Order spinoff and a risky proposition. Dick Wolf, the evil genius that he is, took a successful series that was still on the air, tweaked the format, had it focus on sex crimes and added a new cast. Then he said, “here you go, America, watch this!” and people did. Despite the tough subject matter, the consistently likeable cast, the more personal format and stellar writing has made SVU the highest-rated of the Law & Order franchise and the only one that still earns Emmy nominations. Mariska Hartigay won last year for her role as Detective Olivia Benson and is nominated again this year.
When we left off last season, the squad was a mess. Olivia was admitting to illegally wiring money to her recently discovered half-brother while he was a fugitive, Novack (Neal) had just lost a case that resulted in Fin’s (Ice-T) obviously guilty nephew, Darius (played, awesomely, by Ludacris) to go free, and Stabler (Meloni) found out that his estranged wife was pregnant with their fifth child, while his middle child was arrested for a DUI.
The ninth season opens with Cynthia Nixon guest-starring as a woman with multiple personalities. Other upcoming guests include Aiden Quinn, Melissa Joan Hart and Ice-T’s wife, Coco. Adam Beach, from Flags of Our Fathers, who has previously guest-starred, joins the cast full-time in season 9. A preview of the season premiere can be seen here.
My sister and I are unhealthily addicted to this show and she often refers to Benson and Stabler as if they are real people. For instance, she refuses to visit my new apartment in Brooklyn, because it’s “out of their jurisdiction.” When she used to visit me in Manhattan, there were always at least a dozen times where we’d be walking somewhere and she’d tell me, “I’ll meet you back at the precinct,” and start giggling hysterically. Yes, she has problems.
You know who also has problems? Detective Elliot Stabler. Of all the TV cops who, to borrow a phrase, “Take! It! Personally!,” he takes the cake. He’s a giant ball of rage, probably due to the inordinate number of kids he has at home, and is constantly looking for an excuse to slam somebody’s head into the nearest hard surface. It’s gotten to the point where all he has to do is roll up his sleeves and reveal those Marine tattoos and you know something good is going to happen.
I’ve talked before about how much I love ensemble dramas, and this is probably my favorite. The balance of the crime of the week and the personal storylines allows you to be more invested in the characters than your typical procedural. Also, with the exception of Ice-T, the acting is top-notch—but even despite his limited acting skills (and limited range of facial expressions), Ice-T still manages to provide a likeable character to the ensemble and is just generally awesome. I cannot wait for new episodes.
