| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | |
|---|---|
| Season 10 | |
 Season 10 U.S. DVD cover | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 23, 2008 – June 2, 2009 |
| Season chronology | |
The tenth season of the police procedural/legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 23, 2008, and ended June 2, 2009, on NBC. It was the last season of the show to occupy the Tuesday 10pm/9c timeslot.
The tenth season introduced writer Daniel Truly to SVU. He became a vocal correspondent about the production and was the first to comment on the appropriateness of Ice-T's casting in the show given the alleged misogyny in his music. [1] Truly was used to programs that included frequent meetings with other writers and said "In some ways it's slightly lonelier" on SVU. [2]
The making of the episode "Lunacy" was covered in detail by authors Susan Green and Randee Dawn. The episode, which filmed between July 14 and July 28, 2008, contained a scene in which detectives watch footage of an astronaut on board the International Space Station. In order to film the weightless scene, Kristina Klebe was harnessed into cables which were later edited out. [3] Members of the production staff appeared as astronauts in a still picture. [4] Another scene involved a fight between Detective Stabler and James Brolin's character. A table made of balsa wood and breakaway glass was used in this scene so that it could be broken easily. [3] Early in "Lunacy", detectives learn that their evidence is degraded due to eels feasting on the body. Prop master Anthony Munafo mentioned that he spent eight hours finding a pet store that would sell them enough eels of the right size. [5]
A later episode "Hell" condemned the activities of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda. Executive producer Neal Baer collaborated with the Enough Project to portray child soldiers truthfully and called the episode part of a "continuing commitment to bring the audience stories that resonate with timely social issues." [6] The filming of "Hell" marked the first on-location use of the United Nations building in a television episode. [7]
During the tenth season, the director of photography, George Pattison, expressed his desire to continue using 35mm film. He said "Ours is one of the last shows doing that ... Despite pressure from above to save money, Dick Wolf and our creative producers insist on sticking with a proven formula. Whether it's 100 or 0 degrees outside, these cameras work. And they give beautiful latitude compared with digital." [8] Law & Order: Special Victims Unit continued using motion picture cameras for another two years but ultimately switched to digital for Season 13.
The unit's new Assistant District Attorney, Kim Greylek, played by Michaela McManus, began appearing in the season premiere. About the role, McManus said, "It's really tricky. This character has a lot of brain power and her vocabulary is different than mine." [9] Despite appearing in the opening credits for every Season 10 episode, McManus’ role only last half the season. Neal Baer explained that "Sometimes the part and the actor just don't mesh." [9] Stephanie March began reprising her role of ADA Alexandra Cabot in the same episode. Until "Lead", Stephanie March's last appearance as ADA Cabot was in the spin-off series Conviction . However, her last SVU appearance was in the sixth season which depicted her as still living in hiding. When asked if her reintroduction to SVU would finally explain how she got out of the witness protection program, March answered "I think this will be nice and neat and make sense." [10] The episode was dedicated to deceased crew member Dennis Radesky. [11]
The season finale "Zebras" was the last episode to feature Mike Doyle. His recurring character Ryan O'Halloran is killed after appearing in every season since the fifth. Neal Baer, who wanted to "explore characters' reactions to a death in an interesting way" decided to kill off the character and informed Doyle of the decision a few weeks before the episode was filmed. [12]
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The premiere episode "Trials" stars Sara Gilbert as a rape victim who has given up her child and Luke Perry and Julie Bowen as the foster parents who begin taking care of him. When interviewed about his character, Perry stated that "there are always moments when you gotta find the humanity to people who may be considered the bad guy." Gilbert mentioned being a fan of the show and said "People know me more for comedy, I think, so it's always exciting to me when I get to play something so dramatic." [13] For the role of the foster child, the directors held auditions in New York and Los Angeles before casting Jae Head. [14] In the same episode, Mary Beth Evans briefly appeared as a doctor. She said that the head of NBC daytime "wanted to make Days of Our Lives less of an island and get people from our show onto other NBC shows." [15] In the third episode "Swing", Ellen Burstyn portrayed Bernadette Stabler, Elliot Stabler's mother who suffers from bipolar disorder. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the role. [16]
The fourth episode "Lunacy" was the first filmed in the season and starred James Brolin as an astronaut who used to be one of Stabler's role models. Kristina Klebe played an astronaut who is murdered and Chris Elliott played an enthusiast who follows them around. Christopher Meloni, who stars as Elliot Stabler, joked "Could there be a more confusing actor to have on this show than someone named Chris Elliott?" [17] The following episode "Retro" which criticized the AIDS denialism movement previously had a working title of "Deniers". [18] It was advertised as being "a big Tamara Tunie episode." [19] Tunie was asked about Martin Mull's character in an interview. She answered "What's frightening is that his argument can sound sane. And Martin is smart enough to make one pause." [20] The sixth episode "Babes" starred actor and singer Jesse McCartney as a chastity advocate. He commented that the role took him into new territory, saying "I play a murder suspect, a super-Catholic conservative white boy. It's definitely a stretch and a leap. It's an emotional role." [21]
The seventh episode "Wildlife" was promoted before the season began for an undercover scene that showed chemistry between Detectives Benson and Stabler. [22] One of the animals shown in this episode was an eleven-month-old white handed gibbon named Kimba. [23] His fictional species in the show was named the "white crested gibbon" because there was no way that a critically endangered black crested gibbon could be used in the filming.
The eighth episode "Persona" guest-starred Brenda Blethyn as Caroline Cresswell, a sympathetic fugitive who has been living under a pseudonym. She was nominated for an Outstanding Guest Actress Emmy for her performance. [16] Michael Trucco played a rapist in the tenth episode "Smut". He mentioned a flurry of comments on his message board from Battlestar Galactica fans following his SVU appearance. [24] Kelly Hu played one of his victims seen at the start of the episode. She blogged "I get to be the victim this time. Fun.", referring to her numerous previous roles as a police officer. [25]
Bridger Zadina gave a widely acclaimed performance as a male-to-female transgender teen in "Transitions". [26] He was one of over 200 child actors who auditioned for casting director Jonathan Strauss and appeared in Google's list of top 30 searches after the episode aired. [27] "Transitions" was submitted for Emmy contention but not nominated. [28] The following episode "Lead" featured the return of Stephanie March's character, ADA Alexandra Cabot. March expressed excitement about news that she would work with Judith Light again. When interviewed about the episode, Neal Baer said "I always like to play with the format and it also has flashbacks which we rarely do." [10] The sixteenth episode "Ballerina" guest-starred Carol Burnett as retired dancer Birdie Sulloway. Many of the dancing credits her character mentions in the episode are in fact highlights of Burnett's dancing career. She received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for this episode. [16]
The seventeenth episode "Hell" focused on the lives of child soldiers. Mike Colter portrayed a warlord named Joseph Serumaga. Verne Gay of News 12 Networks exclaimed that Colter's character was "played with scary... conviction." [29] Cicely Tyson played an adoptive parent in the episode. According to Neal Baer, she was contracted to appear with short notice. [10] The episode "Selfish" involved the discovery of a dead baby and the fact that her mother, played by Hilary Duff, covered it up. Initial reports about the episode claimed that it was a response to the Caylee Anthony case. However, Neal Baer cautioned viewers with "You may think it's something familiar, but it turns out it's not." [30] The main focus of the episode is the trial of a mother who inadvertently caused the death of another child by not vaccinating her own child against measles. Neal Baer took a particular liking to this episode in a 2012 interview, saying "It raised this really interesting question about not only what is your responsibility to your own child but to the community of children. It made the show more complex than 'I know what's best for my child.'" [31] In the season finale "Zebras", Carol Kane played John Munch's ex-wife, whom she previously played on Homicide: Life on the Street . About the reprisal, Neal Baer said "We're thrilled to have Gwen Munch return to her true love." [32]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 203 | 1 | "Trials" | David Platt | Dawn DeNoon | September 23, 2008 | 1002 | 9.52 [33] |
| 204 | 2 | "Confession" | Arthur W. Forney | Judith McCreary | September 30, 2008 | 1003 | 10.22 [34] |
| 205 | 3 | "Swing" | David Platt | Amanda Green | October 14, 2008 | 1004 | 9.40 [35] |
| 206 | 4 | "Lunacy" | Peter Leto | Daniel Truly | October 21, 2008 | 1001 | 9.35 [36] |
| 207 | 5 | "Retro" | Peter Leto | Story by : Joshua Kotcheff & Jonathan Greene Teleplay by : Jonathan Greene | October 28, 2008 | 1005 | 9.20 [37] |
| 208 | 6 | "Babes" | David Platt | Daniel Truly | November 11, 2008 | 1006 | 9.42 [38] |
| 209 | 7 | "Wildlife" | Peter Leto | Mick Betancourt | November 18, 2008 | 1008 | 10.18 [39] |
| 210 | 8 | "Persona" | Helen Shaver | Amanda Green | November 25, 2008 | 1009 | 8.55 [40] |
| 211 | 9 | "PTSD" | Eriq La Salle | Judith McCreary | December 2, 2008 | 1007 | 10.31 [41] |
| 212 | 10 | "Smut" | Chris Eyre | Kam Miller | December 9, 2008 | 1010 | 10.93 [42] |
| 213 | 11 | "Stranger" | David Platt | Dawn DeNoon | January 6, 2009 | 1011 | 10.64 [43] |
| 214 | 12 | "Hothouse" | Peter Leto | Charley Davis | January 13, 2009 | 1012 | 9.66 [44] |
| 215 | 13 | "Snatched" | David Platt | Mick Betancourt | February 3, 2009 | 1013 | 10.31 [45] |
| 216 | 14 | "Transitions" | Peter Leto | Ken Storer | February 17, 2009 | 1014 | 9.45 [46] |
| 217 | 15 | "Lead" | David Platt | Jonathan Greene | March 10, 2009 | 1015 | 11.03 [47] |
| 218 | 16 | "Ballerina" | Peter Leto | Daniel Truly | March 17, 2009 | 1016 | 10.58 [48] |
| 219 | 17 | "Hell" | David Platt | Amanda Green | March 31, 2009 | 1017 | 9.34 [49] |
| 220 | 18 | "Baggage" | Chris Zalla | Judith McCreary | April 7, 2009 | 1018 | 9.08 [50] |
| 221 | 19 | "Selfish" | David Platt | Mick Betancourt | April 28, 2009 | 1019 | 10.23 [51] |
| 222 | 20 | "Crush" | Peter Leto | Jonathan Greene | May 5, 2009 | 1020 | 9.79 [52] |
| 223 | 21 | "Liberties" | Juan J. Campanella | Dawn DeNoon | May 19, 2009 | 1021 | 6.73 [53] |
| 224 | 22 | "Zebras" | Peter Leto | Amanda Green & Daniel Truly | June 2, 2009 | 1022 | 11.34 [54] |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Dick Wolf for NBC. The first spin-off of Law & Order, it starred Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler until Meloni left the series in 2011 after 12 seasons, and Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, now the commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit after originally having been Stabler's partner in a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department. Meloni has since reprised his role as Stabler in the spin-off series Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021–present). Law & Order: Special Victims Unit follows the style of the original Law & Order in that some episodes are loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention.
The eighth season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 19, 2006 and ended May 22, 2007 on NBC. The series remained in its 10pm/9c Tuesday timeslot. With the introduction of a new partner for Detective Stabler, early episodes of season 8 took on a significantly different focus when compared to those of previous seasons.
The fifth season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 23, 2003, and ended May 18, 2004, on NBC. Law & Order: SVU moved away from its Friday night slot to Tuesday nights at 10pm/9c. Casey Novak, the unit's longest-serving ADA, was introduced in the fifth episode when Diane Neal joined the cast to fill the absence left by Stephanie March.
The ninth season of the police procedural/legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 25, 2007 and ended May 13, 2008 on NBC. It aired on Tuesday nights at 10pm/9c. Mariska Hargitay, having won a Golden Globe Award in 2005, received her second Golden Globe nomination for her work in the ninth season.
The second season of the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered October 20, 2000, and ended May 11, 2001, on NBC. The show remained in its time slot, Friday nights at 10pm/9c. As Neal Baer's first year producing the show, the second season was accompanied by drastic changes in tone. Additionally, the series began to increase its focus on trial scenes with the addition of an Assistant District Attorney for sex crimes to the cast.
"Zebras" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the tenth season of the police procedural television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the show's 224th episode overall. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on June 2, 2009. In the episode, an open-and-shut case against a mentally disturbed murderer, played by Nick Stahl, is blown when a forensics technician makes a technical error. As Elliot and Olivia investigate additional murders believed to be the work of the same killer, they uncover a plot within their own department.
The eleventh season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered on September 23, 2009 and concluded on May 19, 2010. It was moved from Tuesdays to Wednesdays at 9 pm/8c ET for the NBC broadcast. On March 3, 2010, SVU returned to its previous time slot of 10pm/9c ET. On January 22, 2010, in the wake of the conflict between Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, NBC announced that they would order two additional episodes to fill in the gaps of the departing The Jay Leno Show.
The first season of Cougar Town, an American television series, began airing on September 23, 2009, and concluded on May 19, 2010, after Modern Family and before Eastwick. Season one regular cast members include Courteney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Philipps, Brian Van Holt, Dan Byrd, Ian Gomez, and Josh Hopkins. The sitcom was created by Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel.
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior is an American police procedural drama starring Forest Whitaker and Janeane Garofalo that aired on CBS. The show debuted on February 16, 2011, as a spin-off of another series, Criminal Minds, aired on the same network, and is the second show in the Criminal Minds franchise. This edition's profiling team also worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) in Quantico, Virginia. In an April 2010 episode of Criminal Minds, during the show's fifth season, the original team met the new team and worked with them to find a San Francisco serial killer, with the episode serving as the new series' backdoor pilot.
The twelfth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered in the United States on NBC on September 22, 2010, and concluded on May 18, 2011. This was the first season that the show did not air alongside the original Law & Order. Episodes initially aired on Wednesdays between 9pm/8c and 10pm/9c Eastern, except for the season premiere, which aired from 9pm/8c to 11pm/10c. After the winter hiatus, SVU returned with another two-hour showing on January 5, 2011, before the broadcast time switched to the 10pm/9c time slot the following week.
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The thirteenth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit debuted on NBC on September 21, 2011, and concluded on May 23, 2012. With Law & Order: LA and Law & Order: Criminal Intent having ended in July 2011 and June 2011 respectively, this season of Law & Order: SVU was the first to be broadcast without any other running U.S. Law & Order series, a position the series has held until the nineteenth season, when Law & Order True Crime premiered.
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