Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

TV Show • 1999 • Crime  

Report
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. These are their stories.
This tv show contains 98 potentially triggering events.
Removes Ads!
Season
Episode
Your Triggers
Does the dog die?
169 supporters
Yes
18
No
0
5
gallifreygod
Born Psychopath, Season 14 Episode 19, a kid drowns a dog in the bathtub
4 comments | Add comment
Unanswered Triggers
Were animals harmed in the making?
61 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Is an animal abandoned?
46 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Is there bestiality?
45 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Is an animal sad?
39 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Yes
0
No
0
Does a head get squashed?
28 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Is there audio gore?
26 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Is there body horror?
25 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Yes
0
No
0
Is someone sexually objectified?
21 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
0
Abandonment
Is a child abandoned by a parent?
16 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Abuse
Are there abusive parents?
25 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Yes
4
No
0
Is someone stalked?
12 supporters
Add comment
Yes
14
No
0
Is there domestic violence?
44 supporters
Add comment
Yes
11
No
0
Is a woman brutalized for spectacle?
37 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Yes
4
No
0
Is someone gaslighted?
22 supporters
Add comment
Yes
10
No
0
Is a child abused?
60 supporters
Yes
13
No
0
1
skillwithaquill24
Several episodes every season feature children who have been molested or abused in various ways.
1 comment | Add comment
Addiction
Yes
11
No
0
Is there addiction?
7 supporters
Add comment
Yes
11
No
0
Yes
12
No
0
2
skillwithaquill24
Olivia’s mother was an alcoholic.

Several guest starring characters have been alcoholics over the years.
2 comments | Add comment
Animal
Does a horse die?
49 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
8
Does an animal die?
(besides a dog, cat or horse)
88 supporters
Yes
14
No
0
1
Anonymous
Season 20 ep 1 "man up" - a few minutes in, extremely graphic hunting scene with rabbits
4 comments | Add comment
Are animals abused?
102 supporters
Yes
11
No
0
2
gallifreygod
Born Psychopath, Season 14 Episode 19, a kid drowns a dog in the bathtub
2 comments | Add comment
1
Disabled - season 11, episode 17: around 16.5 minute mark, discussion of dog fighting and cleaning up the ones who die :( dog fighting “clean up” convo continues into next scene
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
12
No
0
1
Nelda
S8
 E1
S8E1. About 11 minutes in, Benson finds a stash of photos of dead animals. One is only a skeleton but the rest are distressingly recognisable as the animals they are and look purposefully injured, so close your eyes until you hear Olivia and Haley start talking.
2 comments | Add comment
Are rabbits harmed?
35 supporters
Yes
3
No
0
0
Mrini
S20
 E1
Yes a rabbit is shot, and there is an unnecessarily graphic depiction of it’s painful death 3 minutes 15 seconds in.
1 comment | Add comment
Does a cat die?
92 supporters
Yes
11
No
0
1
Nelda
S8
 E1
S8E1. About 11 minutes in, Benson finds a stash of photos of dead animals. One is only a skeleton but the rest are distressingly recognisable as the animals they are and look purposefully injured, so close your eyes until you hear Olivia and Haley start talking.
Adding to this section because from the little time I spent looking, one of the animals seemed to be a cat.
5 comments | Add comment
Does a pet die?
80 supporters
Yes
7
No
0
1
Nelda
S8
 E14
S8E14, a man mentions a family receiving their dismembered cat in boxes on their doorstep. No pictures shown of the cat, only the boxes. About 8 minutes in, skip 15 seconds to avoid.
3 comments | Add comment
Does a dragon die?
16 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
11
Are there spiders?
26 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Assault
Is someone drugged?
13 supporters
Add comment
Yes
5
No
0
Is there pedophilia?
58 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Is rape mentioned?
39 supporters
Yes
8
No
0
1
Nelda
Almost every episode. It's the sex crime show. Some episodes aren't about rape and are instead about abused, kidnapped or killed children, but if the rape just being mentioned is triggering to you, please don't watch this show, for your own mental health.
1 comment | Add comment
Is someone beaten up by a bully?
8 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Is someone restrained?
9 supporters
Add comment
Yes
6
No
0
Yes
15
No
0
6
gallifreygod
The entire premise of the show is based on sexual assault
1 comment | Add comment
Bodily Harm
Is there shaving/cutting?
16 supporters
Add comment
Yes
8
No
0
Does someone struggle to breathe?
12 supporters
Add comment
Yes
8
No
0
Is there cannibalism?
21 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Is someone burned alive?
20 supporters
Add comment
Yes
8
No
0
Is someone buried alive?
11 supporters
Add comment
Yes
8
No
0
Is there a hanging?
18 supporters
Yes
6
No
0
0
Nelda
S8
 E15
S8E15, a woman kills herself by hanging. Body shown about 17 minutes in.
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone asphyxiate?
13 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Are any teeth damaged?
22 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Does someone become unconscious?
2 supporters
Add comment
Yes
5
No
0
Does someone break a bone?
11 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Does someone have a seizure?
3 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
0
skillwithaquill24
Never shown onscreen, but the amputation/dismembering of a penis has occurred in a few episodes.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there finger/toe mutilation?
26 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Is someone tortured?
53 supporters
Add comment
Yes
10
No
0
Does someone fall down stairs?
2 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Does someone fall to their death?
5 supporters
Add comment
Yes
9
No
0
Yes
6
No
0
1
skillwithaquill24
A rapist blinds his victims with ammonia in one episode.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there excessive gore?
44 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Children
Is an infant abducted?
10 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Does a kid die?
25 supporters
Yes
15
No
0
2
skillwithaquill24
Episode “Fault”, a child is murdered.
1 comment | Add comment
Is a minor sexualized?
56 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Death
Does someone die?
8 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Disability
Is the r-slur used?
20 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Drugs/Alcohol
Does someone overdose?
8 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Family
Is someone kidnapped?
6 supporters
Add comment
Yes
11
No
0
Does a parent die?
6 supporters
Add comment
Yes
12
No
0
Does someone cheat?
12 supporters
Add comment
Yes
10
No
0
Is a child's toy destroyed?
13 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Does a family member die?
9 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Fear
Are there jumpscares?
27 supporters
Add comment
Yes
5
No
0
Is someone possessed?
7 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
8
Are there ghosts?
5 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
9
Are there clowns?
8 supporters
Add comment
Yes
6
No
0
Yes
9
No
0
0
skillwithaquill24
A woman is attacked while in the shower during the first few minutes of “Burned”.
1 comment | Add comment
Gross
0
skillwithaquill24
A child who was a victim of molestation wets themselves out of fear during questioning.
2 comments | Add comment
Does someone vomit?
54 supporters
Yes
20
No
0
1
aarondd19
When?
8 comments | Add comment
Does someone spit?
7 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Law Enforcement
Is there copaganda?
8 supporters
Yes
29
No
2
4
skillwithaquill24
All main characters are either cops or lawyers and they’re almost always portrayed as being justified in their actions - even when in clear violation of the law or when brutalizing suspects.

A few episodes attempt to tackle police brutality and/or unethical policing, but it rarely effects the main characters. The few times it does effect main characters, they are typically portrayed sympathetically.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there incarceration?
3 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
LGBTQ+
Yes
4
No
0
0
Nelda
Mostly "tranny" and the outdated term "transvestite".
1 comment | Add comment
Medical
Is electro-therapy used?
13 supporters
Add comment
Yes
5
No
0
Are needles/syringes used?
18 supporters
Add comment
Yes
8
No
0
Is there a mental institution scene?
17 supporters
Add comment
Yes
9
No
0
Is there a hospital scene?
6 supporters
Add comment
Yes
8
No
0
Yes
7
No
0
1
skillwithaquill24
A long-time recurring character reveals a cancer diagnosis in Season 21.
1 comment | Add comment
Mental Health
Yes
6
No
0
0
CatsAndCornYk
Yes, I mean...yes
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
11
No
0
0
Charlie318
S8
 E14
A girl attempts suicide by putting her fist through a window, it’s pretty graphic. It’s around 20 minutes into the episode, right after she confesses to killing her mother.
1 comment | Add comment
Is a mentally ill person violent?
13 supporters
Add comment
Yes
6
No
0
Yes
6
No
0
Yes
8
No
0
0
xtianwoman
2:9 ‘pixies’: gymnasts are pressured to lose weight for competitions
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Are there anxiety attacks?
15 supporters
Add comment
Yes
10
No
0
Is there a claustrophobic scene?
13 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Does someone have an eating disorder?
21 supporters
Add comment
Yes
9
No
0
Is there autism specific abuse?
27 supporters
Add comment
Yes
1
No
2
0
skillwithaquill24
The episode “The Longest Night of Rain” features multiple suicides. So much so that the suicide hotline phone number appears before the end credits.
1 comment | Add comment
Noxious
Does a baby cry?
12 supporters
Add comment
Yes
6
No
0
Is there shakey cam?
22 supporters
Add comment
Yes
1
No
5
Is there screaming?
6 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Are there flashing lights or images?
20 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Paranoia
Is the fourth wall broken?
4 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
5
Pregnancy
Is there childbirth?
12 supporters
Yes
10
No
0
0
skillwithaquill24
Episode “Paternity”.
1 comment | Add comment
Are there abortions?
11 supporters
Add comment
Yes
9
No
0
Are there babies or unborn children?
8 supporters
Add comment
Yes
5
No
0
Does someone miscarry?
12 supporters
Add comment
Yes
7
No
0
Yes
9
No
0
0
skillwithaquill24
A pregnant woman has her baby cut out of her. She doesn’t survive.
1 comment | Add comment
Prejudice
Are there fat jokes?
24 supporters
Yes
8
No
0
0
skillwithaquill24
Episode “Fat”.
1 comment | Add comment
0
xtianwoman
Multiple times in 4x21 — the episodes victim is a trans woman and she’s also referred to with a deadname, as the t slur, and as a ‘heshe’
1 comment | Add comment
Does the black guy die first?
10 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Yes
9
No
0
1
skillwithaquill24
The slurs “faggot”, “dyke”, and “tranny” are used pejoratively, especially in early seasons.
1 comment | Add comment
2
skillwithaquill24
“Raw” features characters who are white supremacists/Nazis. They use many slurs, including ones targeted at Jews.
1 comment | Add comment
1
upsteadtwt
Slurs "t*nny" and referring to transgender individuals as "he-shes" are used, especially in the earlier seasons.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there hate speech?
14 supporters
Yes
12
No
0
0
xtianwoman
Some of the sex crimes are hate crime based — the earliest instance is 4x21 where a trans woman is described to have been assaulted since she was 12. Frequently by perps in all seasons and by cops in the earlier seasons.
1 comment | Add comment
Does an LGBT person die?
19 supporters
Add comment
Yes
10
No
0
1
xtianwoman
Early episodes use retarded, I’m not sure if there’s much more than that.

There’s an episode in season three covering a woman with Down syndrome and whether she’s competent to have a baby and live her own life.
1 comment | Add comment
Are there n-words?
13 supporters
Yes
6
No
0
1
Nelda
Like the other comment says. It's the version of the word ending with -er, not -a, if that matters to anyone.
2 comments | Add comment
Relationships
Is there a large age gap?
21 supporters
Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
Sex
Is there sexual content?
30 supporters
Add comment
Yes
13
No
0
Are there incestuous relationships?
National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.4673
44 supporters
Add comment
Yes
13
No
0
Social
Is someone homeless?
3 supporters
Add comment
Yes
5
No
0
Spoiler
Is Santa (et al) spoiled?
1 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
4
Yes
11
No
0
1
skillwithaquill24
Many episodes end tragically, either with a death, suicide, or a miscarriage of justice.
1 comment | Add comment
Vehicular
Does a car crash?
3 supporters
Yes
8
No
0
1
skillwithaquill24
“Paternity” in Season 9
“The Good Girl” in Season 20
“And the Empire Strikes Back” in Season 23.
1 comment | Add comment
Does a car honk or tires screech?
4 supporters
Add comment
Yes
6
No
0
Is someone hit by a car?
6 supporters
Add comment
Yes
9
No
0
Violence
Is there a nuclear explosion?
2 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
10
Is there blood/gore?
26 supporters
Add comment
Yes
10
No
0
Does someone drown?
9 supporters
Add comment
Yes
9
No
0
Is there gun violence?
7 supporters
Add comment
Yes
11
No
0