Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (often abbreviated to Law & Order: SVU or just SVU) is an American police procedural crime drama television series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced. In the style of the original Law & Order, episodes are often "ripped from the headlines" or loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention. Created and produced by Dick Wolf, the series premiered on NBC on September 20, 1999 as the first spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama, Law & Order. The show started its 14th season on September 26, 2012 and has aired 314 original episodes as of April 3, 2013.
