"Law & Order: SVU" fans, brace yourself: NBC's new streaming service Peacock is almost here — and it's going to give you nearly all the "L&O" you could possibly want!
Starting July 15, Peacock will feature every episode of "SVU" and "Criminal Intent," along with select episodes from its "mothership" "L&O" — a seriously arresting offer for any true "dun-dun" junkie.
"SVU" returns for its 23rd season in the fall. But are you the kind of fan who knows every twist and turn every episode? Test your mettle with our quiz, below. Questions up top, answers below. And no peeking: This is going on your permanent record!
Law: Questions
1. How many days would it take you to watch every "SVU" episode, with commercials, back-to-back? (1 point)
2. The show has been nominated 23 times for Emmys with six wins. What year did Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) win her Emmy, and in what category? (2 points)
3. Speaking of Emmys, the only others the show has won are for guest actresses. We'll give you the first names of the actresses and the years they won, and you fill in the last names. (6 points possible)
Amanda _____ (2005)
Leslie ______ (2007)
Cynthia ______ (2008)
Ellen _______ (2009)
Ann_______ (2010)
4. Detective (later Sergeant) John Munch (played by Richard Belzer) was not an original character to "SVU." On what show did Belzer originate the character? (1 point)
5. When did "SVU" become the longest-running primetime drama in TV history? Month and year are sufficient. (2 points)
6. Ice-T originally signed on to play Sergeant (then only Detective) Odafin "Fin" Tutuola for ___ episodes, though now he's appeared in over 450. How many episodes was he originally set to appear in? (1 point)
7. Olivia Benson (Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) are named after whose son and daughter? (1 point)
8. Steven Zirnkilton has voiced the boilerplate opening for "SVU" and the other "L&O" spinoffs since the franchise began. Fill in the blanks that are missing here from the "SVU" opening statement:
"In the ____ justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially _____. In New York City, the _____ detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an ____ squad known as the Special Victims Unit." (4 points possible)
9. And speaking of Zirnkilton, he's more than just a voice: He was elected twice to which state's House of Representatives? (1 point)
10. During the first two seasons of "SVU," Christopher Meloni (Stabler) was co-starring in an HBO drama. What was its name? (1 point)
11. In 2008, Hargitay was performing a stunt on the show when one of her lungs collapsed. She had surgery in early 2009 and was hospitalized a few months later with chest pains. She missed shooting how many episodes during this period? (1 point)
12. There have been lots of relatives of stars who've appeared on the show over the years. We'll give you the name of a guest actor, and you tell us who they're connected to — and how! (6 points possible)
Peter Hermann
Mickey Hargitay
Coco Austin
13. Super Hard Final Question: The first 12 seasons of "SVU" featured one-word episode titles. But when Warren Leight came on board as showrunner for seasons 13-17, the episode titles were longer for a very specific reasons. When he came back in season 21, he started this trend all over again. What is the correlation between those seasons — and those episode titles? (5 possible points)
Order: Answers
1. As of the end of season 22, there are 478 episodes of "SVU," which would take you 19.9 days (20 is close enough) to complete. After which, you'll definitely want to get a snack and take a nap.
2. Hargitay won an Emmy in 2006 in the outstanding lead actress category.
3. The guest actresses who won Emmys are: Amanda Plummer (2005), Leslie Caron (2007), Cynthia Nixon (2008), Ellen Burstyn (2009), and Ann-Margaret (2010).
4. Munch was a transfer from Baltimore's homicide division, and Belzer had played him on "Homicide: Life on the Streets" from 1993-99 — a show "L&O" creator Dick Wolf did not create. Overall, he's played Munch on 10 different series.
5. On Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019 "SVU" became the longest-running primetime drama in TV history. Hargitay's Captain Olivia Benson is the longest-running primetime drama character of all time.
6. Odafin "Fin" Tutuola was initially expected to appear in just four episodes.
7. The characters of Olivia Benson (Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) are named after show creator Dick Wolf's son and daughter.
8. The statement reads: "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."
9. Zirnkilton was also twice elected to the Maine House of Representatives.
10. During the first two seasons of "SVU," Meloni co-starred in the prison drama "Oz."
11. Despite her illness, Hargitay only missed filming one episode.
12. Mariska Hargitay's dad, Mickey Hargitay, appeared in a 2003 episode ("Control"); Ice-T's wife Coco Austin has appeared three times between 2004-12; and Peter Hermann met his future wife Hargitay when he dropped in for a guest visit in 2002. He's appeared 32 more times since then, as Trevor Langan.
13. Between seasons 13 and 17, the number of letters in any given episode title coincided with the season number. This started again in season 21, which meant every episode title in that season was 21 letters long.
Summary Judgement
Total possible points: 32. How did you do?
Score 1-6 points: New Recruit
Glad to have you on board, officer, but you've got some catching up to do!
Score 7-12 points: Rookie Detective
You're moving up the ladder, and we've just assigned you a partner. Keep up the good work!
Score 13-19 points: Detective First Grade
You know how to catch the bad guys, but sometimes they still slip through your fingers. Button down and we know you'll get that promotion soon!
Score 20-26 points: Sergeant
Nice work passing the exam! Soon you'll be running this department.
Score 27-32 points: Lieutenant
Wow! You could probably teach all of us a few things. The city is safer with you in charge.
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