SVU: Cragen rescues a monkey & Benson poses as Stabler's hooker

SVU S10 E7 "Wildlife"

"...this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

The SVU team somehow gets involved in an exotic animal smuggling operation. A woman is killed by a tiger, Stabler gets shot, Benson shows off her bra, Kathy wants to leave, and Cragen gets a hug from a $1 million gibbon smuggled in a basketball.

It's SVU S10 E7 "Wildflife" and we can't even with Tara Ariano from the Extra Hot Great podcast.

To read a magazine article about how this television episode was made, click here.

This episode is inspired by the real international blackmarket for exotic animals.

L&O: A girl gets killed above a deli and Green goes gangsta

L&O S13 E4 "Tragedy on Rye"

"You're under arrest for a crime we just convicted three other guys for!"

An actress is murdered above a famous deli and Branch wants to give the three suspects the death penalty...including the two guys who just stole the TV. Green goes undercover as a drug dealer, gets sued for beating down a perp, and reveals his affinity for Elvis Costello. And a witness reminds us who put Baby in a corner.

We're hungry to talk about L&O season 13 episode 4 "Tragedy on Rye" with Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam.

This episode is based on the real life Carnegie Deli Massacre of 2001.

SVU: She got her boyfriend to rape, then kill, her little sister

SVU: S4 E11 "Damaged"

Of course I'm a sociopath. Just look at my flat affect and mediocre acting.

It wasn't an accident the little girl got shot in the stick-up crossfire. Cabot gives her psycho sister immunity before learning she convinced her boyfriend to rape the girl, give her gonorrhea, then set up the fatal shoot-out to keep her quiet.

We try to stomach SVU season 4 episode 11 "Damaged." Our guest is Kate Casey from the Reality Life podcast.

This episode is based on the crime spree by Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.

BONUS EPISODE: Grandma Sheila was Noah's kidnapper all along

SVU S19 E9 "Gone Baby Gone"

"First off, I'm really upset by this. Second, I can't believe you are falling for this shit."

As a follow up to our last episode about SVU S19 E8 "Intent," part 1 of a cliffhanger, we're dropping this bonus episode to briefly talk about the conclusion of the kidnapping storyline in E9 "Gone Baby Gone."

We'll hear from Rebecca Lavoie and Sarah D. Bunting about muttonchops, Twitter meltdowns, and how to get to New Hampshire.

SVU: The double catfish, Carisi tries to kiss Rollins, and Noah gets kidnapped

SVU S19 E8 "Intent"

Turn your back for nine seconds, Grandma Sheila. What's the worst that could happen?

We're looking at the most recent episode from SVU! You know...the one with the double catfishing scheme, Rollins and Carisi almost make out, and Noah gets kidnapped at the end.

Part two of this cliffhanger airs on NBC on Jan 3, so let's talk about SVU season 19 episode 8 "Intent" right now. Our guest is Margo Donohue from the Book vs. Movie podcast.

This episode is inspired by the real-life case of NBA player Chris Andersen.

THE BANNED L&O EPISODE: Rape at the puerto Rican Day Parade

L&O: S11 E11 “SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH JORGE”

Well...THAT escalated quickly.

Well this one struck a nerve! The Puerto Rican Day parade is marred by a roaming mob assaulting women in Central Park. Meantime, the wife of a tech giant is found beaten to death nearby. What follows is an investigation driven by politics, wealth, and race.

NBC banned L&O S11 E11 "Sunday in the Park with Jorge" from re-runs for nearly a decade. Our guest is returning panelist Lani Diane Rich from Chipperish Media.

This episode is inspired by the real-life sexual assault incidents during New York's 2000 Puerto Rican Day parade.

SVU: The one where the woman pretends she's still in high school

SVU S8 E21 "Pretend"

Of course I'm 16. I have pigtails, don't I?

The bloody BDSM scene turns out to be an accidental death from two high school buddies conducting "extreme wrestling." But there's something wrong with the victim's girlfriend. Turns out she's a 28-year-old pretending to be a teen!

We're blown away by SVU season 8 episode 21 "Pretend." Our guest is Stephanie Craig of the History Fangirl podcast.

The episode takes its inspiration from the true story of Treva Throneberry.

SVU: That girl can't be a killer Lolita, can she?

SVU: S1 E5 "Wanderlust"

And when she was bad she was horrid.

The SVU squad investigates a dead writer, a drunken lovelorn landlady, a pedophile impostor, and the tempting teen who might have had an affair with the victim. And Stabler suddenly realizes his daughter is going to have sex someday.

We're going all the way back to SVU season 1 episode 5 "Wanderlust." Our guest is Benjamin Frisch of the Slate podcast network.

The episode takes much inspiration from the book Lolita.

L&O: Rey joins the team & a guy gets shot in court

L&O S6 E1 "Bitter Fruit"

Well, THAT'S not going to come out with club soda.

Here we meet Briscoe's new partner, the smiling, good-natured, loving family man Rey Curtis (boy how things will change). And of course, Briscoe can't stand him. But once they catch the bad guy, the victim's mom shoots him in court...getting blood all over Claire's new suit.

We're looking at Law & Order season 6 episode 1 "Bitter Fruit." Our guest is Erin Fox of the "You, Me, and PTSD" podcast.

The episode takes some cues from the real life case of Ellie Nesler.

SVU: Fifty shades of plagiarism and Barba gets choked with his own belt

SVU S14 E3 "Twenty-five Acts"

Oh yeah. THIS is going to work out well.

She's the beautiful author of an erotic novel. He's the talk show host who likes to choke women with his belt. Was the sex consensual? Did she really write the book? And why is Munch reading a BSDM book to his blind mother?

We're looking at SVU season 14 episode 3 "Twenty-five Acts." Our guest is Julia Turner, Editor-in-Chief at Slate magazine.

The episode takes some cues from the blackmail scandal of Late Night host David Letterman.

SVU: The annoying lab tech was really the killer

SVU Season 10 Episode 22 "Zebras"

For those who've ever wanted to tell Stabler to STFU, this one's for you.

The psycho suspect escapes by riding through a Fun House, then fleeing super villain-style by dumping toxic gas to cover his tracks. But it's Benson who rescues Stabler from the real killer by repeatedly slapping her partner and making out with the bad guy.

We're looking at SVU season 10 episode 22 "Zebras." Our guest is from the "In Trouble for Talking" podcast, Sonia Sells.

The episode takes some cues from the life of SVU regular Richard Belzer. 

SVU: I didn't stab the Captain with a pickle

SVU: S12 E5 "Wet"

If not Benson, then who did?

A woman get horny and dies after eating mushrooms. A mime refuses to talk. Some guy is snipping women's hair in the park. A dog coughs up a tampon. And Benson has the weirdest freak out after being exposed to toxic fungi. 

We're looking at SVU season 12 episode 5 "Wet." Our guest is KCUR reporter and podcaster Sam Zeff.

The episode is based on the controversy around the effects of soda on the health of children.

CI: Goren faces off again with Nicole Wallace

CI: S5 E1 "Grow"

Get a room already.

Goren again matches wits with super criminal Nicole Wallace. Is she trying to hasten the death of a little girl to inherit her $5m lawsuit settlement...or is she protecting the child from her own father who wants the money too? And the new guy in the squad with nothing to do is Mike Logan.

We're looking at Criminal Intent season 5 episode 1 "Grow." Our guest is author and comedian Dan Wilbur.

The episode's villain is derivative of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Professor Moriarty, who is based on the real-life criminal mastermind Adam Worth. 

L&O: The militia guy says the fringe on the flag makes him a POW

L&O S8 E5 "Nullification"

Defendant: That flag has fringes. This is a military tribunal. Judge: Bullshit.

It's an armored car heist! No! It's actually a militia hoping to overthrow the government! And as long as there are fringes on that American flag, the defendants consider themselves prisoners of war.

We're looking at a classic L&O season 8 episode 5 "Nullification." Our guest is retired Lt Col James Weirick of the Military Justice podcast.

The original episode is inspired by the real life cases of anti-government militia activity of the 1990s.

SVU: The teen makes his own kiddie porn site

SVU: S7 E21 "Web"

We ask, "WTF does THIS mean?"

We still aren't sure what to say about this SVU episode that starts with a puppet show, ends with a kidnapping, and makes some really messed up twists in Teddy's Treehouse along the way.

We're looking at SVU season 7 episode 21 "Web."

Our guest is Molly McKean from the upcoming podcast HGTV & Me (also from Partners In Crime Media).

The TV episode was inspired the real life child pornography case of Justin Berry.

L&O/SVU/CI: These are "These Are Their Stories"

TATS season 1 finale

What started off as a honey-do project has blossomed into a fun podcast with lots of great fans. We're even nominated for Best TV podcast at this month's Podcast Movement convention. (We're going to lose. We're gonna lose hard. We're going to lose like the Washington Generals always lose to the Harlem Globetrotters.)

We're celebrating the end of season one (and the upcoming start of season two) with a look back at some of the best moments from the first year of These Are Their Stories. We'll relive some good episode discussion, favorite detective teams, Hey-it's-that-guys, and the best ripped from the headlines.

Thanks to Vanity Fair, the gang's all here.

L&O: The bikini girl, the news anchors, and the Ponzi scheme

L&O S19 E17 “Anchors Away”

Bikini pictures? Let me see...

A bikini posing TV reporter gets murdered and all the anchors want to do is stab each other in the back. But could the lightweight journalist have been close to exposing a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme when she was killed?

This time we look at original recipe season 19 episode 17 "Anchors Away." Our guest is host of the Accused podcast Amber Hunt.

This episode was inspired by the Bernie Madoff case and the scandals of TV anchors Larry Mendte and Alycia Lane.

SVU: Grifters fake a rape to extort a Trump-like billionaire

SVU S2 E8 “Taken”

This victim is not all that she seems.

Boy, it can really ruin the grand opening of a 5-star hotel when a guest is assaulted...even if it's only part of a convoluted scam to extort $10 million from the owner.

This time we look at SVU season 2 episode 8 "Taken." Our guest is writer and co-host of Slate's DoubleX Gabfest podcast June Thomas.

This episode was inspired by the fake rape extortion case at Walt Disney World.

SVU: Come back with my frozen embryos!

SVU S9 E14 “Inconceivable”

Munch has a sketch of the victims.

This case has everything! Someone stealing frozen embryos! A mother harvesting her disabled daughter's eggs! Olivia baby angst! A courthouse steps shooting! Dwarfs! Luis from "Sesame Street"!

We'll try to figure out what happened in SVU season 9 episode 14 "Inconceivable." Our guest is writer and co-host of Slate's Mom and Dad Are Fighting podcast Carvel Wallace.

Part of the story references the controversial case of little girl "Ashley X" and the medical treatment used to address her severe disabilities. 

SVU: John Stamos has 20 kids and gets blown up with a knife

SVU S12 E22 “bang”

Would you become baby mama #21? You know you would.

Remember when John Stamos was the guest star on SVU? And he fathered 20 kids by 20 different women (which isn't actually a crime)? And he got killed by a special knife that made his chest blow up? Yeah...it's kind of hard to forget.

We're going to figure out what happened in SVU season 12 episode 22 "Bang." Our guest is Gillian Pensavalle from the True Crime Obsessed podcast.

This episode is based loosely on a clinical study into "reproductive coercion," and also the story of British bloke Keith Macdonald who had ten baby mommas.