No offense Gary Busey, but this is not helping your image that you’re not crazy.
She’s a grifter. He’s a washed-up celebrity. She wound up dead on the sidewalk. Who did it? Well, Gary Busey appears in the first 30 seconds of this episode, so you tell us.
We’re looking at a classic Law & Order, season 12 episode 6 “Formerly Famous.” Our guest is John Davenport from the Hollywood Outsider podcast.
This episode was based on the murder trial of Robert Blake.
“You have the right to tell us some crazy-ass story about how the mom paid you to kidnap her son, right before you tell us the dad paid you to kidnap his son.”
A boy is abducted from his school. The kidnapper later says his Mom paid to have him taken. Or was it the Dad?
We’re looking at SVU season 16 episode 22 “Parents’ Nightmare.” Our guest is Maureen McMurray from the new Bear Brook podcast.
This episode is based on the ripped-from-the-headlines story of a family who faked a kidnapping to teach their boy about “stranger danger.”
She may be undercover, but why does Olivia even have this dress?
Benson and Stabler go undercover in a sex club [swoon] to catch a pair of con artist swingers who have a surprising amount in common. Like the same mother. Like they're doing it. Like they're twins and they're doing it.
We're looking at SVU season 12 episode 19 "Bombshell." Our guest is Toronto Sun sex & relationship columnist Simone Paget.
The inspiration for one of the characters is burlesque star Dita von Teese.
"Babe, imma gonna walk off this set and go get my Oscar. Good luck in 'Miss Congeniality.'"
A financier dies of a Viagra overdose...a billionaire wants a football stadium...Briscoe makes some dick jokes...blah blah blah. Julia Roberts guest stars as a femme fatale who wants to get it in with her then-boyfriend Benjamin Bratt!
We're talking about Law & Order season 9 episode 20 "Empire." Our guest is Aaron Peterson of the Hollywood Outside and The Blacklist Exposed podcasts.
This episode is inspired in part by the plans of George Steinbrenner, Rudy Giuliani, and Donald Trump to build a new Yankee Stadium.
"I hope I'm not to late to mess up my career!"
After joining a police foot chase, Amaro shoots an unarmed teen. Now IAB is after him. But it's Cragen who turns in his badge, as the iconic character retires after 400 L&O and SVU episodes.
We're talking with Kimmie Smith of Athleisure Mag about Special Victims Unit season 15 episode 11* "Amaro's One-eighty."
This story is inspired by the real life case of Ramarley Graham.
Note; some streaming services list this as episode 10 because of a two-part season premier.
"Meow. Even though you can't afford me I'll throw myself at you because that's just what we high-priced Russian hookers are known to do."
The oversexed victim was buggered by fruit. The trail leads Benson and Stabler to a Turkish bath house, high-priced Russian hookers, the mysterious second floor loft in the squad room, and a male porn star named “Bull Dozer.”
We’re looking at SVU S1 E12 “Russian Love Poem” with Brittni Liyanage from the D20 Dames podcast.
This episode’s ripped-from-the-headline story deals with the Russian mob.
Are you kidding me with that accent? You're working IN New York. How do you not know what these people sound like?
We're back (even though Rebecca deleted the file of our last episode)!
Green and Cassady chase an escaped prisoner all over Manhattan, only to corner him in a classroom where he shoots four children. McCoy and Rubirosa wanted the convict to get the death penalty. So why should they prosecute the vigilante who killed him for them?
We're looking at Law & Order, season 17 episode 9 "Deadlock." Our guest is Nick Capodice from the Civics 101 podcast.
This episode takes cues from the ripped from the headlines case of Gary Plauche.
Note that we will be discussing a fictional school shooting.
Briscoe: We're looking for a violent person who maybe chased a random woman over the edge of a bridge. Who lives here?
Neighbor: Crazy Mike.
Briscoe (whisper): Rey, I think we're getting warmer.
A woman jumps from a crowed bridge. Did she kill herself...or was she chased to her death? Also, Rey's wife finds out about his infidelity and leaves him (for now).
We're looking at classic Law & Order season 7 episode 11 "Menace." Our guest is author Brady Carlson.
This podcast episode was originally released on October 12, 2016, but this encore episode contains additional material.
This TV episode is inspired by the real life case of Delitha Ward.
That is correct. I have not ever had a girlfriend who didn't also want to kill me. So...points!
Doesn’t being cryogenically frozen after death sound good? Not to the billionaire who wants that brain to cure his son’s Alzheimer’s.
This time we look at Criminal Intent season 2 episode 15 “Cold Comfort.”
Our guest is Lisa Gallagher of the Toronto True Crime Film Festival.
This episode is inspired by the real-life controversy around the death of baseball legend Ted Williams.
Not to shit on your technique, but what you couldn't do for Robert in years of therapy Huang did in the last five minutes of this episode.
This therapist thinks she can cure rapists by reading them bedtime stories, making them suck their thumbs, and calling her "Mommy." Then she straight up sleeps with one and is attacked by the patient's sister, er, mother. (Plus pro tip: don't put your ankle monitor on your cat.)
We're looking at SVU season 5 episode 3 "Mother" with Diana Goodman from the ThirtyTwentyTen podcast.
"Sometimes I skip leg day, but never arms. And this is why I know these dumbbells aren't ten pounds. Plus, I used to work at the Bureau of Weights and Measures."
The kidnapping of a famous atheist goes wrong, with the victim and one of the kidnappers dead and his accomplices gone with the gold coins. But Goren is no dumbbell when it comes to cracking the case.
This time we look at Criminal Intent season 4 episode 5 "Eosphoros" with Katie from the Date with Dateline podcast.
The TV episode's name comes from the Greek god of the morning star, the brother to god of the evening star, Hesporos. The episode was inspired by the kidnapping and murder of Madalyn Murray O'Hair.
"We are NOT trying to turn our new adopted daughter into our kidnapped daughter. We've just changed her hair and clothes, implanted a microchip in her arm, and gave her an unwanted nose job. That's all."
SVU searches for little Mackenzie who ran away from her smothering parents. Their older daughter was kidnapped and vanished years ago, and now they're making Mackenzie look just like her (with plastic surgery and a microchip).
We're talking about SVU S12 E1 Locum with actor Chase Williamson.
This episode takes some cues from the ripped from the headline story of Jaycee Dugard.
Q: Do you recognize the meat cutter who wore this creepy AF clown mask but never took off? A: That's his chin.
You think the guy in the creepy clown mask kidnapping the teen girl is the weirdest this episode gets. But HOLD ON. Wait until the music teacher finds out the student he's been sleeping with is actually the love child he never knew he had. (Vomit here.)
We're still stunned by SVU S19 E17 "Send in the Clowns" and we'll talk about it with Kimberly from the Date with Dateline podcast.
This episode is inspired by the case of Steven Walter Pladl.
Hey! My eyes are up HERE.
How's this for a March Madness tie in? A pro basketball player is accused of snapping the neck of his biggest heckler who happened to be suing him for $20 million.
We're taking a shot with Law & Order season 15 episode 16 "The Sixth Man." Our guest is James Pietragallo from Crime and Sports and the Small Town Murder podcast.
This episode was inspired by the real-life 2004 sports brawl known as The Malice at the Palace.
The charge may be neglect, but the real crime is dressing her in those fairy wings.
Pay no attention to that little girl hanging off a balcony. It's her mom who's the special victim. Now an adult, she'd been made to do porn as a child. Barba convinces her to sue the men still viewing her images for millions of dollars. Also, Benson and Cassidy have the least-drama filled breakup in television history.
We're talking about SVU S15 E19* "Downloaded Girl" with Aussie star Kate Barkley from the Pups and Pop Culture podcast.
This SVU episode was inspired by the real-life court case of "Amy Unknown."
Note: because of the two-part season opener, some streaming services list this as episode 18.
Yes, Lauren Ambrose's performance is powerful...but how about that shirt!
In one of Law & Order's most powerful episodes, a mentally handicapped girl is raped by her classmates. McCoy must fight the judge who sets aside the jury's verdict because the disabled sexual assault victim "had the time of her life." The result is a reflection on the meaning of dignity and acceptance. Meantime, Lenny's daughter pays the ultimate price for testifying against a drug dealer.
We talk about L&O season 8 episode 22 "Damaged" with Mark Blankenship of the Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs podcast.
Note: the original episode and our commentary use the words "retard" and "retarded."
To read Mark's article on why "Damaged" is among the best in the L&O canon, click here.
"...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.
"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.
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.
"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.
