Mariska Hargitay Movie:

		List Price: $59.98		Label: Universal Studios Salesrank: 2896 Released: October 21, 2003
		Our Price: $19.72
		Used Price: $15.44
		MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
From the popular and award-winning Law & Order franchise comes Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit. This hard-hitting and emotional series chronicles the exciting cases of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit as they try to crack the city's most heinous crimes. With a celebrated cast that includes Christopher Meloni (Twelve Monkeys, TV's Oz), Mariska Hargitay (Lake Placid, TV's ER), Dann Florek (Beautiful Joe, The Flintstones), Richard Belzer (Jump, TV's Homicide: Life on the Street), Dean Winters (TV's Oz), and Michelle Hurd (Random Hearts), and featuring such notable guest stars as Angie Harmon (TV's Law & Order), Jerry Orbach (TV's Law & Order), Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink), Bebe Neuwirth (TV's Frasier, Cheers) and Camryn Manhein (TV's The Practice), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - The First Year is a must-have DVD collection.

Description of Law & Order Special Victims Unit - The First Year:
Originally called Sex Crimes, executive producer Dick Wolf wisely opted for something less lurid when the second in the inexhaustible Law & Order franchise hit the air in 1999. Still, as the opening voiceover makes clear, the "sexually based offenses" investigated by New York's Special Victims Unit can be "especially heinous." This six-DVD boxed set includes all 22 episodes of the first compelling season.

Wolf penned series premier "Payback," which sets the scene, but not the tone. It's a lively, if uneasy mix between horror (rape) and comedy (risqué banter). As the show progressed, humor would be written out altogether (leaving Richard Belzer's Homicide-derived John Munch with increasingly less to do). Less emphasis would also be placed on the home lives of this "elite squad of dedicated detectives." Mostly, "Payback" introduces us to the unit, centering around partners Olivia Benton (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). For two people with so little in common, they make a terrific team--arguably one of TV's best. Stabler is married with four children; Benton is single and her closest relationship is with her mother (Elizabeth Ashley). While Stabler can get a little rough with suspects, Benton tends to over-empathize with the victims. They report to the no-nonsense Captain Cragen (Law & Order vet Dann Florek). Like the parent program's Lenny Briscoe, he's a recovering alcoholic. Dean Winters and Michelle Hurd round out the rock-solid cast.

As it would continue to do in successive years, SVU's first season proved that network TV could explore sex crimes without being salacious or exploitative. "Uncivilized," for instance, concerns a child murder that is automatically pinned on a local sex offender, when the actual perpetrator isn't quite so obvious. "Disrobed," in which Brian Cassidy (Winters) leaves the department and Benson (with whom he had a brief affair) shoots a suspect is another standout in a strong year. SVU was followed by Criminal Intent in 2001 and features several guest appearances from Jerry Orbach (Briscoe) and Angie Harmon (Abbie Carmichael) from the original Law & Order. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Law & Order Special Victims Unit - The First Year Reviews:
Outstanding addition to the L&O franchise
2009-07-22 - Perhaps the potentially disturbing nature of the SVU cases kept me from watching Law & Order SVU. Until I bought this DVD set I had seen some or all of every other L&O series...even the ones that only lasted a season. I finally decided to watch the first SVU. I'm hooked! Meloni, Hargitay, and the other cast members give great performances. I also like how Dan Florek was brought in to reprise his role as Captain Cragen. Quite a few of the cases in the show are disturbing but they often portray life's reality. I hope that this series can endure as long as the original L&O. Five stars for an outstanding series.

Perfect
2009-04-29 - Just as product was described, arrived on time, new condition, no problems at all! It was exactly what I wanted and a great transaction. Thanks!

I love this series
2008-12-10 - This is a great series and has remained so. This is an offshoot of the original Law and Order series. This series focuses on sexual crimes, normally not dealt with on television. The main crimes are rape, child molestation, and everything in between. I am very glad the Law and Order series decided to tackle this once taboo topic and I believe this series has helped open the discussion of rape and sexual abuse which is one of the reasons why I love this series so much.

The acting is great, the plots are amazing and draw in you from the first "dum dum". Since it deals with sensitive subject matter, the episodes may not be appropriate for all viewers. There is high replayability with these episodes which is why it is worth the purchase. If you enjoy crime dramas, especially crime dramas that help open debate and deal with taboo topics, then this is the show for you. I guarentee you will enjoy it.

OK
2008-11-22 - I'm a Criminal Intent fan, and SVU is fine, but not as good in my book

A Bit Rough
2008-10-03 - I have been a big fan of this TV series for years, but I simply did not remember the early years, so I purchased the First Year on DVD. Unfortunately, unlike NYPD Blue (from the very first episode of NYPD Blue the series seemed polished and cohisive) Law and Order SVU First Year is very rough around the edges - I will probably not purchase any more of the earlier years and stick with the last few years for my collection.