Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 17
Season 17 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 16.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 17 Progress Shield
Devil's Dissections (1)
Sep 23, 2015 · 43 min
The squad revisit a crime scene where bodies were buried by a serial killer. Rollins tries to get a confession, but the killer reveals shocking new info instead.
Criminal Pathology (2)
Sep 23, 2015 · 43 min
A serial killer reveals shocking new info and problems in the case mount as Barba faces slick lawyers in court.
Transgender Bridge
Sep 30, 2015 · 43 min
When a transgender teen is assaulted by high school bullies, the case quickly escalates to tragedy, and the squad agonizes over whether the punishment fits the crime.
Institutional Fail
Oct 7, 2015 · 43 min
A malnourished toddler is found wandering and leads police to another ill child from the same home. The investigation eventually lands the Department of Child Services in hot water
Community Policing
Oct 14, 2015 · 43 min
An unarmed black man is shot by three police officers who claim they were following proper procedure while pursuing a rape suspect. As racial tensions mount throughout the city, Ba
Maternal Instincts
Oct 21, 2015 · 43 min
A violinist is raped by her colleague, but he doesn't remember committing the crime and claims he was drugged and robbed by a hired escort. Meanwhile, Rollins' mother throws a baby
Patrimonial Burden
Nov 4, 2015 · 43 min
When a pious TV family's reputation is shattered by a teen pregnancy scandal, SVU uncovers the reality behind the reality show.
Melancholy Pursuit
Nov 11, 2015 · 43 min
The search for a missing teenager takes an emotional toll on Dodd, DNA could lead to the teen's abductor.
Depravity Standard
Nov 18, 2015 · 43 min
Lt. Benson seeks justice in the trial of child abductor Lewis Hodda, but when a plea deal is rejected, Barba must rely on decades-old evidence to make his case and faces off agains
Catfishing Teacher
Jan 6, 2016 · 43 min
A high school student plans a clandestine hookup with his female teacher but ends up in a far more sinister situation.
Townhouse Incident
Jan 13, 2016 · 43 min
Benson is taken hostage when she tries to stop a home invasion.
A Misunderstanding
Jan 20, 2016 · 43 min
A murky he-said, she-said date rape case ruins the futures of two high school students.
Forty-One Witnesses
Feb 3, 2016 · 43 min
A woman is followed home and raped outside her building, where several neighbors witness the crime but fail to call for help.
Nationwide Manhunt (I)
Feb 10, 2016 · 43 min
Chicago P.D. detectives Lindsay and Dawson join the SVU in the hunt for two escaped murderers they helped to convict. The crossover continues on Chicago P.D. S03E14 The Song of Gr
Collateral Damages
Feb 17, 2016 · 43 min
Two high-profile suspects are arrested in the takedown of an online pedophile ring following a sting operation.
Star-Struck Victims
Feb 24, 2016 · 43 min
When a lack of evidence leads Barba to drop rape charges against a popular actor; Rollins takes matters into her own hands.
Manhattan Transfer
Mar 2, 2016 · 43 min
A sexual exploitation case involving Catholic schoolgirls results in surprising charges against people in esteemed leadership positions, including judges, lawmakers, lawyers and co
Unholiest Alliance
Mar 23, 2016 · 43 min
When one of their own is implicated in a cover-up, the SVU struggles to unravel a sex trafficking operation deeply-rooted in government offices, the police department, and the Cath
Sheltered Outcasts
Mar 30, 2016 · 43 min
Detective Carisi lives undercover at a homeless shelter to determine if one of its sex offender residents is the suspect in a string of neighborhood rapes.
Fashionable Crimes
May 4, 2016 · 43 min
A young model is raped by a renowned fashion house photographer, who looks to his successful brother to make the charges disappear.
Assaulting Reality
May 11, 2016 · 43 min
The producers of a reality TV dating series make Benson and the SVU team part of the show when they investigate a contestant's claim that she was raped.
Intersecting Lives (1)
May 18, 2016 · 43 min
A corrections officer is arrested for sexually assaulting female inmates in and out of prison, and the union that supports him targets Barba and the SVU.
Heartfelt Passages (2)
May 25, 2016 · 43 min
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.