Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural, legal, crime drama television series created and produced by Dick Wolf. The series premiered on NBC on September 20, 1999 as the first spin-off of crime drama, Law & Order. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit centers on the detectives of the Special Victims Unit in the fictional 16th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has won and been nominated for numerous awards for the series' actors, writers, and producers. Mariska Hargitay has been nominated for Emmy Awards many times, eventually winning it in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and a Golden Globe in the category for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama, for her portrayal of Detective Olivia Benson in 2005. Hargitay is the first performer from any member of the Law & Order franchise to win an Emmy and a Golden Globe for an acting role.

Awards and nominations