Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 12)
Encyclopedia
The 12th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
premiered on September 22, 2010 on NBC
and concluded on May 18, 2011. The timeslot was moved from 10 p.m. (ET) to 9 p.m. (ET) for the NBC broadcast in 2010. For the first time since the series premiered the new season started off with a two-part premiere.
This marks the first season since the show's debut that it will not air alongside the original Law & Order
. However, the beginning of the season broadcasted new episodes at 9/8c ahead of the original show's newest spinoff
, Law & Order: LA at 10/9c. This is showrunner Neal Baer
's last season before leaving the show. Guest stars from previous seasons returned, such as Marcia Gay Harden
and Christine Lahti
.
SVU moved to a new time beginning with a two-hour episode from 9-11 p.m. (ET) on January 5 before resuming in its regular time of 10-11 p.m. (ET) the following week.
's last, after his comments to the reporter were misunderstood. Meloni said that "I think 12 years is enough, a good number". Meloni later clarified that at the time he had one year left on his contract and the show had not been picked up. He said, "It wasn't [the reporter's] fault" and that he would continue on the show as long as it is picked up. When asked in an interview if Mariska Hargitay
could envision doing the show without him, she said, "Oh man, it breaks my heart to even think about it. I just love that man and I love acting with him, and I think it's our chemistry that makes the show what it is. So I don't even want to think about it".
On April 12, 2010, NBC officially picked up SVU for a twelfth season with Meloni and Hargitay returning as part of the one year deal they struck with NBC before production began on season 11
, which included an option for a second year. The two started shooting new episodes in June and July 2010. Hargitay expressed interest of Benson having a baby in this season, saying, "A boyfriend! A baby! I don’t even have to get married. I just want a baby! Give me a baby!".
On June 23, 2010, Michael Ausiello
reported that Paula Patton
was in "advanced talks" to join the show, as a permanent ADA. TV Guide
later confirmed that Patton would play Assistant District Attorney Mikka Von in multiple episodes, beginning with the fifth episode. She was set to fill the ADA slot left vacant by both Stephanie March
(Alexandra Cabot) and guest star Sharon Stone
(Jo Marlowe). Patton later dropped out to film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and was replaced by Melissa Sagemiller
as ADA Gillian Hardwicke. Sagemiller and Mariska Hargitay have a past from previously working together on the SVU season one episode "Russian Love Poem", where Sagemiller played a victim. "There's something in my past, a personal connection that we have, something that she did for me and a family member who she helped out ... She's not aware of it yet [but] it becomes revealed in the next several episodes," Sagemiller said. ADA Hardwicke's background has yet to come to light. Her personality, Sagemiller says, is front and center. "She's tough ... she has a heart, she just gets what she wants." Sagemiller also added, "She sticks to the letter of the law, sometimes to a fault, but in the end I think she always does the right thing".
Christine Lahti
returned as EADA Sonya Paxton in the ninth episode "Gray". Paxton, previously exposed as an alcoholic in season 11
, has apparently conquered her drinking problem. Baer told TVGuide.com, "She has a huge scene where she faces off with Stabler". Her character was killed in the 17th episode.
Diane Neal
returned as ADA Casey Novak
in one episode ("Reparations") which aired in spring. Neal's last episode was the ninth season finale, "Cold
" after her character was censured for violating due process
in a rape case.
, at NBC’s Central Archives building in North Bergen. Faced with losing the state’s 20% tax incentive, the show moved to New York
into the studio space at Chelsea Piers
that was occupied by the original Law & Order
series. After the fourth episode of the season, the original New Jersey set was no longer used. Outdoor filming was halted on January 26, 2011 due to the blizzard
. Production resumed in the Chelsea Piers studio.
This season's third episode focused on an investigation involving a rape kit, which took Detective Olivia Benson
(Hargitay) from New York City
to Los Angeles
to meet LAPD Detective Rex Winters (Skeet Ulrich
). The episode was shot while Hargitay was in Los Angeles for the Primetime Emmy Awards in August 2010
. The episode aired originally September 29, before the Law & Order: LA premiere on NBC
.
Neal Baer
left Law & Order: SVU at the end of the season, after serving eleven years (seasons 2–12) as showrunner. He chose not to renew his NBC contract, instead signing a three–year deal with CBS Studios. Baer was replaced by former Law & Order: Criminal Intent
executive producer/show-runner Warren Leight
.
played a graphic artist named Erik Weber for the first two episodes. Joan Cusack
played the mother of two missing girls in the first episode. Jennifer Love Hewitt
played a rape
victim afraid to leave her house in the episode "Behave". Baer told TVGuide.com, "One of the reasons we wanted to do this episode is because it addresses Mariska Hargitay’s passion for rape kits, which can help gather evidence to convict the rapists. But for some reason these kits have been sitting around unopened in cities all over the country." Skeet Ulrich
guest-starred in the same episode as his Law & Order: LA character, Detective Rex Winters. Gloria Reuben
guest starred as US Attorney Christine Danielson in the fourth episode "Merchandise"; where a teenage girl gets struck by a car, her death revealing a child trafficking and slavery
ring. Baer said of her appearance, "We're bringing back characters we love this season."
David Krumholtz
guest starred in the fifth episode "Wet" with actress Rosemary Harris
. Krumholtz played an expert on toxic mushrooms who is involved in the same murder investigation that involved Harris' character. Also Paula Patton
, (who was originally cast in the role of ADA), makes a guest appearance as ADA Mikka Von. In the episode, her character gets fired because she sent a defense attorney on vacation in order to give the detectives more time in finding who actually committed the murder. In the sixth episode "Branded", Michael Gladis
and Kevin Alejandro
played two of a trio of rape victims. "They have been branded and sodomized
by someone," reveals Baer, who says the show poses the questions, "is there a connection between these men, and what nut case is on the loose?" David Alan Grier
played defense attorney Jeremy Swift. Jason Wiles
also joined Gladis, Alejandro, and Grier in the episode. Wiles played Alexander Gammon, who becomes a rapist's target.
Maria Bello
appeared in the season's seventh episode "Trophy" as Vivian Arliss. While uncovering a girl's body who was dumped, Benson uncovered that Arliss' mother was raped by the same man (who was previously incarcerated). Arliss left her son Calvin (Charlie Tahan
) in Benson's custody to find the father of her son. She later appeared in tenth episode "Rescue". Marcia Gay Harden
returned in the season's eighth episode "Penetration" as FBI Agent Dana Lewis. Agent Lewis is raped while undercover, and her rapist has a connection to one of her previous undercover operations in "Raw".
Drea de Matteo
guest starred as Sondra in the eleventh episode "Pop", as a pregnant battered wife whose abuser also beats her son from another marriage. Matteo said in an interview that she had not read the script prior to accepting the role. She explained, "I just knew that they wanted me to do something on the show and I'm a fan of the show, I was really excited to be on this show. This is like a New York staple. It's part of our culture here". Also in that episode, Olympia Dukakis
played an attorney named Debby Marsh, who is hired to represent the son (Al Calderon) of Sondra. Taryn Manning
guest starred in the twelfth episode, "Possessed", portraying a woman who years earlier had been coerced into porn. She filmed scenes in December 2010. Jeremy Irons
guest starred in a 2011 episode titled, "Mask"; Irons portrayed Dr. Cap Jackson, a sex therapist
who runs a sex addiction rehab clinic. "We're elated to work with an actor of Jeremy's caliber," Baer says. "He brings depth, intelligence and charisma to all his varied roles and we couldn't be luckier to have him guest-star on SVU." A.J. Cook
guest starred in the same episode as Irons. Cook portrayed OBGYN Debbie Shields, the lesbian
lover of the daughter of Irons' character. Says Baer: "Her character is brutally attacked."
Shohreh Aghdashloo
guest starred as Detective Saliyah "Sunny" Qadri, an employee of the Brooklyn
DA's office in the episode "Dirty". Colm Feore
played a wealthy sexual predator named Jordan Hayes in the episode "Flight". Feore said of his character: "Harder is the psychology of a guy who gets his kicks from taking advantage of young women, girls really to be brutally honest. [It's tough] asking yourself what kind of a guy it is who needs to satisfy his desires, such as they are, with innocence". Debra Messing
guest starred in the episode, "Pursuit", as a TV journalist who becomes the target of a stalker. Baer described her character as "[a] ballsy television journalist who sets out to nail pedophiles". LuAnn de Lesseps
played a socialite who makes a gruesome discovery in the episode, "Bully". Executive producer Dan Truly described her character as a "slightly deranged, out of control artist". For her role, she had to pose semi-nude, for which she said she felt comfortable doing as it was "tasteful". The episode also featured guest appearances from Kate Burton
and opera singer Renée Fleming
.
Rose McGowan
guest starred as another kind of temptress in the episode "Bombshell". Baer said, "Rose plays a grifter named Cassandra who strikes swinging men who frequent sex clubs. And we're very excited to have her." Ryan Hurst
also guest starred. Elizabeth Mitchell, signed for a "horrifying" guest role. She guest starred alongside returning guest star Jeremy Irons
, who appeared earlier this season as Dr. Cap Jackson. Elizabeth played an unmarried piano teacher who was the last person to see one of her students alive. For the first time, the series dealt with a case in which a woman is suspected of sexually assaulting and murdering a child. Because of the rarity of this offense, Dr. Jackson is called in to consult with Benson and Stabler because he has studied women who have committed this type of crime. The episode, titled "Totem".
Diane Neal
who portrayed ADA Casey Novak
from the fifth season
until the end of the ninth season
reprised her role for one episode ("Reparations"). With Diane Neal returning, Law & Order: LA actor Terrence Howard
guest starred in the episode as his character D.D.A. Joe Dekker, leaving Los Angeles to defend a friend's son, who actually turned out to be his cousin who was later found innocent of a sex crime. This was the second time in this season a L&O: LA character is seen on SVU. Lori Singer
played Dede, a mother whose baby is kidnapped in the episode "Bang". John Stamos
guest starred in the same episode playing an adoption attorney with a secret passion.
Rita Wilson
played Bree Mazelon, the protective mother of a teen Sterling Beaumon
under investigation in the episode, "Delinquent".
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
premiered on September 22, 2010 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and concluded on May 18, 2011. The timeslot was moved from 10 p.m. (ET) to 9 p.m. (ET) for the NBC broadcast in 2010. For the first time since the series premiered the new season started off with a two-part premiere.
This marks the first season since the show's debut that it will not air alongside the original Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. However, the beginning of the season broadcasted new episodes at 9/8c ahead of the original show's newest spinoff
Law & Order (franchise)
The Law & Order franchise is a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf and originally broadcast on NBC, all of which deal with some aspect of the criminal justice system...
, Law & Order: LA at 10/9c. This is showrunner Neal Baer
Neal Baer
Neal Baer, MD is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Education:...
's last season before leaving the show. Guest stars from previous seasons returned, such as Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden is an American film and theatre actress. Harden's breakthrough role was in Miller's Crossing and then The First Wives Club which was followed by several roles which gained her wider fame including the hit comedy Flubber and Meet Joe Black...
and Christine Lahti
Christine Lahti
Christine Lahti is an American actress and film director. Lahti has had a successful career in television and film. Throughout her career she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 Nominations, An Emmy Award from 6 Nominations and 2 Academy Award nominations...
.
SVU moved to a new time beginning with a two-hour episode from 9-11 p.m. (ET) on January 5 before resuming in its regular time of 10-11 p.m. (ET) the following week.
Cast changes and returning characters
Australian newspaper Courier-Mail reported in February 2010 that Season 12 would be Christopher MeloniChristopher Meloni
Christopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Early life:Meloni was born the youngest of three children in...
's last, after his comments to the reporter were misunderstood. Meloni said that "I think 12 years is enough, a good number". Meloni later clarified that at the time he had one year left on his contract and the show had not been picked up. He said, "It wasn't [the reporter's] fault" and that he would continue on the show as long as it is picked up. When asked in an interview if Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay is an American actress, best known for her role as New York City sex crimes Detective Olivia Benson on the NBC television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that has earned her multiple awards and nominations, including an Emmy and Golden Globe.The daughter of actress...
could envision doing the show without him, she said, "Oh man, it breaks my heart to even think about it. I just love that man and I love acting with him, and I think it's our chemistry that makes the show what it is. So I don't even want to think about it".
On April 12, 2010, NBC officially picked up SVU for a twelfth season with Meloni and Hargitay returning as part of the one year deal they struck with NBC before production began on season 11
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 11)
The 11th 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 p.m. ET for the NBC broadcast. On March 3, 2010 SVU returned to its previous time slot of 10 p.m. ET...
, which included an option for a second year. The two started shooting new episodes in June and July 2010. Hargitay expressed interest of Benson having a baby in this season, saying, "A boyfriend! A baby! I don’t even have to get married. I just want a baby! Give me a baby!".
On June 23, 2010, Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
reported that Paula Patton
Paula Patton
Paula Maxine Patton is an American actress. She is mostly known for her appearances in the films Idlewild , Déjà Vu , Mirrors , Swing Vote , Precious , Just Wright , and Jumping the Broom .-Early life and career:Patton was born in Los Angeles, to Joyce , a European-American...
was in "advanced talks" to join the show, as a permanent ADA. TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
later confirmed that Patton would play Assistant District Attorney Mikka Von in multiple episodes, beginning with the fifth episode. She was set to fill the ADA slot left vacant by both Stephanie March
Stephanie March
Stephanie Caroline March is an American actress, best known for her current portrayal of Alexandra Cabot on the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Early life:...
(Alexandra Cabot) and guest star Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
(Jo Marlowe). Patton later dropped out to film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and was replaced by Melissa Sagemiller
Melissa Sagemiller
Melissa Sagemiller is an American television and film actress.-Early life and education:Sagemiller was born in Washington, D.C. to a political activist mother and a professional American football player father, who played in the NFL for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. She attended...
as ADA Gillian Hardwicke. Sagemiller and Mariska Hargitay have a past from previously working together on the SVU season one episode "Russian Love Poem", where Sagemiller played a victim. "There's something in my past, a personal connection that we have, something that she did for me and a family member who she helped out ... She's not aware of it yet [but] it becomes revealed in the next several episodes," Sagemiller said. ADA Hardwicke's background has yet to come to light. Her personality, Sagemiller says, is front and center. "She's tough ... she has a heart, she just gets what she wants." Sagemiller also added, "She sticks to the letter of the law, sometimes to a fault, but in the end I think she always does the right thing".
Christine Lahti
Christine Lahti
Christine Lahti is an American actress and film director. Lahti has had a successful career in television and film. Throughout her career she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 Nominations, An Emmy Award from 6 Nominations and 2 Academy Award nominations...
returned as EADA Sonya Paxton in the ninth episode "Gray". Paxton, previously exposed as an alcoholic in season 11
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 11)
The 11th 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 p.m. ET for the NBC broadcast. On March 3, 2010 SVU returned to its previous time slot of 10 p.m. ET...
, has apparently conquered her drinking problem. Baer told TVGuide.com, "She has a huge scene where she faces off with Stabler". Her character was killed in the 17th episode.
Diane Neal
Diane Neal
Diane Neal is an American actress widely known for her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Biography:...
returned as ADA Casey Novak
Casey Novak
Casey Novak is a fictional character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Diane Neal. She is the only female assistant district attorney to have appeared in five complete seasons in any Law & Order series and the longest-running ADA in the entire franchise.-Character:Casey Novak is a...
in one episode ("Reparations") which aired in spring. Neal's last episode was the ninth season finale, "Cold
Cold (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
Cold is the season finale of the ninth season of the legal drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Plot summary:An old murder case of a teenage girl is reopened, when Detective Lake is caught in a gunfight and wounded by the case's former investigator, Detective Edward Kralik...
" after her character was censured for violating due process
Due process
Due process is the legal code that the state must venerate all of the legal rights that are owed to a person under the principle. Due process balances the power of the state law of the land and thus protects individual persons from it...
in a rape case.
Production
For the first eleven years of Law & Order: SVU, the set had been located in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, at NBC’s Central Archives building in North Bergen. Faced with losing the state’s 20% tax incentive, the show moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
into the studio space at Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers is a series of piers on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City that was a passenger ship terminal in the early 1900s that was used by the RMS Lusitania and was the destination of the RMS Titanic....
that was occupied by the original Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
series. After the fourth episode of the season, the original New Jersey set was no longer used. Outdoor filming was halted on January 26, 2011 due to the blizzard
January 25–27, 2011 North American blizzard
The January 25–27, 2011 North American blizzard was a major Mid-Atlantic nor'easter and winter storm, and a New England blizzard that affected portions of the northeastern United States and Canada. This storm came just two weeks after a previous major blizzard had already affected most of these...
. Production resumed in the Chelsea Piers studio.
This season's third episode focused on an investigation involving a rape kit, which took Detective Olivia Benson
Olivia Benson
Det. Olivia "Liv" Benson is a fictional character on the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. She is the former partner of Elliot Stabler. In Season 13, her partner will be Nick Amaro...
(Hargitay) from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to meet LAPD Detective Rex Winters (Skeet Ulrich
Skeet Ulrich
Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream...
). The episode was shot while Hargitay was in Los Angeles for the Primetime Emmy Awards in August 2010
62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, took place on August 29, 2010, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PDT...
. The episode aired originally September 29, before the Law & Order: LA premiere on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Neal Baer
Neal Baer
Neal Baer, MD is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Education:...
left Law & Order: SVU at the end of the season, after serving eleven years (seasons 2–12) as showrunner. He chose not to renew his NBC contract, instead signing a three–year deal with CBS Studios. Baer was replaced by former Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
executive producer/show-runner Warren Leight
Warren Leight
Warren Leight is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and television producer. He is best known for his work on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Lights Out and the showrunner for In Treatment and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit....
.
Principal cast
- Christopher MeloniChristopher MeloniChristopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Early life:Meloni was born the youngest of three children in...
as Det. Elliot StablerElliot StablerDet. Elliot "El" Stabler is a fictional character on the TV crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Christopher Meloni. He was the partner of Olivia Benson before retiring, following a shooting.-Character overview:... - Mariska HargitayMariska HargitayMariska Hargitay is an American actress, best known for her role as New York City sex crimes Detective Olivia Benson on the NBC television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that has earned her multiple awards and nominations, including an Emmy and Golden Globe.The daughter of actress...
as Det. Olivia BensonOlivia BensonDet. Olivia "Liv" Benson is a fictional character on the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. She is the former partner of Elliot Stabler. In Season 13, her partner will be Nick Amaro... - Richard BelzerRichard BelzerRichard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
as Sgt. John MunchJohn MunchSergeant John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise... - Ice-TICE-T* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
as Det. Fin TutuolaFin TutuolaDet. Odafin "Fin" Tutuola is a fictional character and protagonist on the TV drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Ice-T.The character's name is taken from the book The Palm Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola, a member of the Yoruba people of Nigeria... - B. D. Wong as Dr. George HuangGeorge Huang (Law & Order)Special Agent George Huang, M.D. is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He is portrayed by B. D. Wong.-Character overview:...
- Tamara TunieTamara TunieTamara Renee Tunie is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, and medical examiner Melinda Warner on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit...
as Dr. Melinda WarnerMelinda WarnerDr. Melinda Warner is a fictional character on the show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Tamara Tunie. Tunie was originally a recurring cast member until she was added to the main credits in season 7. She became a recurring cast member again in season 13.-Character overview:As the... - Dann FlorekDann FlorekEzekial Dann Florek , professional name Dann Florek, is an American actor and director.-Early life:Florek was born in Flat Rock, Michigan. He attended Eastern Michigan University, but never graduated...
as Capt. Don CragenDonald CragenDonald "Don" Cragen is a fictional character in the police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order and its spinoff Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Dann Florek.-Character appearances:...
Recurring cast
- Melissa SagemillerMelissa SagemillerMelissa Sagemiller is an American television and film actress.-Early life and education:Sagemiller was born in Washington, D.C. to a political activist mother and a professional American football player father, who played in the NFL for the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. She attended...
as ADA Gillian Hardwicke - James Chen as CSU Adrian Sung
- Francie SwiftFrancie SwiftFrancie Swift is an American actress best known for her versality and the wide variety of roles she has played.Swift was born in Amarillo, Texas and attended Tascosa High School...
as ADA Sherri West - Joel de la FuenteJoel de la FuenteJoel de la Fuente is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as 1st Lieutenant Paul Wang in Space: Above and Beyond, Peter Davies in 100 Centre Street, and recurring appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as TARU Tech Ruben Morales.-Early life:Born in New Hartford, New York, de...
as TARU Tech Ruben Morales - Charlie TahanCharlie TahanCharles "Charlie" Tahan is an American child actor.Tahan was born and raised in Glen Rock, New Jersey. His sister is actress Daisy Tahan, and he has an older brother named Willie as well. Tahan portrayed Ethan in I Am Legend, appeared in Burning Bright, and co-starred with Zac Efron in the 2010...
as Calvin Arliss - Isabel GilliesIsabel GilliesIsabel Gillies is an actress and author. She has played Elliot Stabler's wife, Kathy, in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 1999...
as Kathy Stabler - Henry Ian CusickHenry Ian CusickHenry Ian Cusick is a Scottish-Peruvian actor of stage, television, and film. He is well-known for his role as Desmond Hume on the United States television series Lost, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination....
as Erik Weber - Lindsay CrouseLindsay Crouse-Early life:Crouse was born in New York City, the daughter of Anna and Russel Crouse, a playwright. Her full name—Lindsay Ann Crouse—is an intentional tribute to the Broadway writing partnership of Lindsay and Crouse. Her father and his writing partner, Howard Lindsay, wrote much of...
as Judge Andrews - Maria BelloMaria BelloMaria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
as Vivian Arliss - Christine LahtiChristine LahtiChristine Lahti is an American actress and film director. Lahti has had a successful career in television and film. Throughout her career she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 Nominations, An Emmy Award from 6 Nominations and 2 Academy Award nominations...
as EADA Sonya Paxton - Robert John Burke as Lt. Ed Tucker
- Jeremy IronsJeremy IronsJeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
as Dr. Cap Jackson
Guest stars
Henry Ian CusickHenry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick is a Scottish-Peruvian actor of stage, television, and film. He is well-known for his role as Desmond Hume on the United States television series Lost, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination....
played a graphic artist named Erik Weber for the first two episodes. Joan Cusack
Joan Cusack
Joan Mary Cusack is an American film, stage and television actress. Throughout her career, Cusack has appeared in many films as well as appearing in stage productions....
played the mother of two missing girls in the first episode. Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...
played a rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
victim afraid to leave her house in the episode "Behave". Baer told TVGuide.com, "One of the reasons we wanted to do this episode is because it addresses Mariska Hargitay’s passion for rape kits, which can help gather evidence to convict the rapists. But for some reason these kits have been sitting around unopened in cities all over the country." Skeet Ulrich
Skeet Ulrich
Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying Billy Loomis in Scream...
guest-starred in the same episode as his Law & Order: LA character, Detective Rex Winters. Gloria Reuben
Gloria Reuben
Gloria Reuben is a Canadian singer and actress of film and television, known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the popular medical drama ER and for her role of Rosalind Whitman in the TV show Raising the Bar.-Life and career:...
guest starred as US Attorney Christine Danielson in the fourth episode "Merchandise"; where a teenage girl gets struck by a car, her death revealing a child trafficking and slavery
Sexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
ring. Baer said of her appearance, "We're bringing back characters we love this season."
David Krumholtz
David Krumholtz
David Krumholtz is an American actor best known for playing Professor Charlie Eppes in the television series Numb3rs. He appeared as Seth Goldstein in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its two sequels, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas...
guest starred in the fifth episode "Wet" with actress Rosemary Harris
Rosemary Harris
Rosemary Ann Harris is an English actress and a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Throughout her career she has been nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and has won a Golden Globe, an Emmy, a Tony Award, an Obie, and five Drama Desk Awards.-Early life:Harris was born in...
. Krumholtz played an expert on toxic mushrooms who is involved in the same murder investigation that involved Harris' character. Also Paula Patton
Paula Patton
Paula Maxine Patton is an American actress. She is mostly known for her appearances in the films Idlewild , Déjà Vu , Mirrors , Swing Vote , Precious , Just Wright , and Jumping the Broom .-Early life and career:Patton was born in Los Angeles, to Joyce , a European-American...
, (who was originally cast in the role of ADA), makes a guest appearance as ADA Mikka Von. In the episode, her character gets fired because she sent a defense attorney on vacation in order to give the detectives more time in finding who actually committed the murder. In the sixth episode "Branded", Michael Gladis
Michael Gladis
Michael Gladis is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Paul Kinsey on the television series Mad Men, where he appeared in the series' first three seasons. Prior to Mad Men, he played Eugene Rossi in four episodes of Third Watch...
and Kevin Alejandro
Kevin Alejandro
Kevin Michael Alejandro is an American actor. Alejandro may be best known for his roles as Nate Moretta in the series Southland and as Jesus Velasquez in the series True Blood.-Early life:...
played two of a trio of rape victims. "They have been branded and sodomized
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
by someone," reveals Baer, who says the show poses the questions, "is there a connection between these men, and what nut case is on the loose?" David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color.-Early life:...
played defense attorney Jeremy Swift. Jason Wiles
Jason Wiles
Jason Austin Wiles is an American actor known for his role in the TV series Third Watch.Wiles was born in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., and raised in Lenexa, Kansas, where he attended Holy Trinity Catholic School...
also joined Gladis, Alejandro, and Grier in the episode. Wiles played Alexander Gammon, who becomes a rapist's target.
Maria Bello
Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
appeared in the season's seventh episode "Trophy" as Vivian Arliss. While uncovering a girl's body who was dumped, Benson uncovered that Arliss' mother was raped by the same man (who was previously incarcerated). Arliss left her son Calvin (Charlie Tahan
Charlie Tahan
Charles "Charlie" Tahan is an American child actor.Tahan was born and raised in Glen Rock, New Jersey. His sister is actress Daisy Tahan, and he has an older brother named Willie as well. Tahan portrayed Ethan in I Am Legend, appeared in Burning Bright, and co-starred with Zac Efron in the 2010...
) in Benson's custody to find the father of her son. She later appeared in tenth episode "Rescue". Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden is an American film and theatre actress. Harden's breakthrough role was in Miller's Crossing and then The First Wives Club which was followed by several roles which gained her wider fame including the hit comedy Flubber and Meet Joe Black...
returned in the season's eighth episode "Penetration" as FBI Agent Dana Lewis. Agent Lewis is raped while undercover, and her rapist has a connection to one of her previous undercover operations in "Raw".
Drea de Matteo
Drea de Matteo
Drea de Matteo is an American television actress, perhaps best known for her roles Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina on the NBC sitcom Joey, as Angie Bolen on ABC's Desperate Housewives, and as Adriana La Cerva on the acclaimed HBO TV series The Sopranos, a role for which she won the Primetime Emmy...
guest starred as Sondra in the eleventh episode "Pop", as a pregnant battered wife whose abuser also beats her son from another marriage. Matteo said in an interview that she had not read the script prior to accepting the role. She explained, "I just knew that they wanted me to do something on the show and I'm a fan of the show, I was really excited to be on this show. This is like a New York staple. It's part of our culture here". Also in that episode, Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
played an attorney named Debby Marsh, who is hired to represent the son (Al Calderon) of Sondra. Taryn Manning
Taryn Manning
Taryn Manning is an American actress, fashion designer, and singer-songwriter. She is the vocalist for electronic duo Boomkat and co-owner of the clothing brand Born Uniqorn. Manning gained her first major role as an actress in 2001 when she played the role of Maddy in Crazy/Beautiful...
guest starred in the twelfth episode, "Possessed", portraying a woman who years earlier had been coerced into porn. She filmed scenes in December 2010. Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
guest starred in a 2011 episode titled, "Mask"; Irons portrayed Dr. Cap Jackson, a sex therapist
Sex therapy
Sex therapy is the treatment of sexual dysfunction, such as non-consummation, premature ejaculation , erectile dysfunction, low libido, unwanted sexual fetishes, sexual addiction, painful sex, or a lack of sexual confidence, assisting people who are recovering from sexual assault, problems commonly...
who runs a sex addiction rehab clinic. "We're elated to work with an actor of Jeremy's caliber," Baer says. "He brings depth, intelligence and charisma to all his varied roles and we couldn't be luckier to have him guest-star on SVU." A.J. Cook
A. J. Cook (actress)
Andrea Joy "A.J." Cook-Andersen is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau in the CBS crime drama Criminal Minds...
guest starred in the same episode as Irons. Cook portrayed OBGYN Debbie Shields, the lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
lover of the daughter of Irons' character. Says Baer: "Her character is brutally attacked."
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh Aghdashloo is an Iranian American actress.After establishing a theatre and film career in Iran, Aghdashloo moved to England during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and subsequently became a citizen of the United States...
guest starred as Detective Saliyah "Sunny" Qadri, an employee of the Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
DA's office in the episode "Dirty". Colm Feore
Colm Feore
Colm Feore is an American-born Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life. The family subsequently moved to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up.After graduating...
played a wealthy sexual predator named Jordan Hayes in the episode "Flight". Feore said of his character: "Harder is the psychology of a guy who gets his kicks from taking advantage of young women, girls really to be brutally honest. [It's tough] asking yourself what kind of a guy it is who needs to satisfy his desires, such as they are, with innocence". Debra Messing
Debra Messing
Debra Lynn Messing is an American actress, voice artist, and comedienne. She is perhaps best known for her role as Grace Adler in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace and as Molly Kagan in the mini-series The Starter Wife....
guest starred in the episode, "Pursuit", as a TV journalist who becomes the target of a stalker. Baer described her character as "[a] ballsy television journalist who sets out to nail pedophiles". LuAnn de Lesseps
LuAnn de Lesseps
LuAnn de Lesseps, known as Countess LuAnn or The Countess is an American television personality, recording artist, and former fashion model best known for her appearances on the Bravo show The Real Housewives of New York City...
played a socialite who makes a gruesome discovery in the episode, "Bully". Executive producer Dan Truly described her character as a "slightly deranged, out of control artist". For her role, she had to pose semi-nude, for which she said she felt comfortable doing as it was "tasteful". The episode also featured guest appearances from Kate Burton
Kate Burton (actress)
-Personal life:Burton was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the daughter of producer Sybil Burton and actor Richard Burton . She was thus the stepdaughter of actress Elizabeth Taylor and of Sybil's second husband Jordan Christopher. In 1979, Burton earned a bachelor's degree in Russian studies and...
and opera singer Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
.
Rose McGowan
Rose McGowan
Rose Arianna McGowan is an actress and singer. She is known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB Television Network supernatural drama series Charmed. She played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS mini-series Elvis...
guest starred as another kind of temptress in the episode "Bombshell". Baer said, "Rose plays a grifter named Cassandra who strikes swinging men who frequent sex clubs. And we're very excited to have her." Ryan Hurst
Ryan Hurst
Ryan Douglas Hurst is an American actor who perhaps most notably starred as Gerry Bertier, an All-American linebacker in Disney's Remember the Titans and as Alison's brother, Michael, in the show Medium. He also played the role of football player Lump Hudson in The Ladykillers, appeared in the...
also guest starred. Elizabeth Mitchell, signed for a "horrifying" guest role. She guest starred alongside returning guest star Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
, who appeared earlier this season as Dr. Cap Jackson. Elizabeth played an unmarried piano teacher who was the last person to see one of her students alive. For the first time, the series dealt with a case in which a woman is suspected of sexually assaulting and murdering a child. Because of the rarity of this offense, Dr. Jackson is called in to consult with Benson and Stabler because he has studied women who have committed this type of crime. The episode, titled "Totem".
Diane Neal
Diane Neal
Diane Neal is an American actress widely known for her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Biography:...
who portrayed ADA Casey Novak
Casey Novak
Casey Novak is a fictional character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Diane Neal. She is the only female assistant district attorney to have appeared in five complete seasons in any Law & Order series and the longest-running ADA in the entire franchise.-Character:Casey Novak is a...
from the fifth season
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 5)
This article contains a list of episodes for season 5 of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.Diane Neal joins the cast this season as Casey Novak, the SVU's new ADA.-Cast:*Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler...
until the end of the ninth season
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 9)
This page contains a list of episodes for season 9 of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Cast:*Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler*Mariska Hargitay as Det. Olivia Benson*Richard Belzer as Sgt. John Munch...
reprised her role for one episode ("Reparations"). With Diane Neal returning, Law & Order: LA actor Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard
Terrence Dashon Howard is an American actor. Having his first major role in the 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus, which subsequently led to a number of roles in films and high visibility among African American audiences. Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of well-reviewed television...
guest starred in the episode as his character D.D.A. Joe Dekker, leaving Los Angeles to defend a friend's son, who actually turned out to be his cousin who was later found innocent of a sex crime. This was the second time in this season a L&O: LA character is seen on SVU. Lori Singer
Lori Singer
Lori Singer is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Ariel Moore, the female lead in the 1984 feature film Footloose, and as Julie Miller in the television series Fame.-Film and television career:...
played Dede, a mother whose baby is kidnapped in the episode "Bang". John Stamos
John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
guest starred in the same episode playing an adoption attorney with a secret passion.
Rita Wilson
Rita Wilson
-Early life:Wilson was born Margarita Ibrahimoff in Los Angeles, California.Her father, a Bulgarian who worked at a racetrack, was born in Greece. Before immigrating to the US, he had lived in Bulgaria and Turkey....
played Bree Mazelon, the protective mother of a teen Sterling Beaumon
Sterling Beaumon
Sterling Martin Beaumon, born June 2, 1995, is an American teen actor and singer. He is best known for his lead roles as Max Doyle in the 2008 film Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? and as young Benjamin Linus in the ABC television series, Lost...
under investigation in the episode, "Delinquent".
Episodes
| Season no. |
Series no. |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. Viewers (millions) |
|---|
External links
- Official episode guide
- Season 12 episodes at TVGuide.com
- Season 12 episodes at MSN.com
- Season 12 episodes at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Season 12 episodes at IMDb.com
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 12 on the Law & Order wiki