<P> Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first - spin off of Law & Order, is an American police procedural television series that focuses on crimes of sexual nature . While the victim is often murdered, this is not always the case, and victims often play prominent roles in episodes . The series frequently uses stories that are "ripped from the headlines" or based on real crimes . Such episodes take a real crime and fictionalize it by changing the details . The series premiered on NBC on September 20, 1999, and started its nineteenth season on September 27, 2017 . </P> <P> Most episode titles of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit between seasons one and twelve are a single word or initialism . From seasons thirteen to seventeen, the pattern changed to one in which episodes have a two - word title with the number of letters matching the season number . From season eighteen, the episode titles follow no fixed pattern . </P> <P> As of October 11, 2017, 413 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit have aired . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Season </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Episodes </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Originally aired </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> First aired </Th> <Th> Last aired </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 22 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 20, 1999 (1999 - 09 - 20) </Td> <Td> May 19, 2000 (2000 - 05 - 19) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 21 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> October 20, 2000 (2000 - 10 - 20) </Td> <Td> May 11, 2001 (2001 - 05 - 11) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 23 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 28, 2001 (2001 - 09 - 28) </Td> <Td> May 17, 2002 (2002 - 05 - 17) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 25 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 27, 2002 (2002 - 09 - 27) </Td> <Td> May 16, 2003 (2003 - 05 - 16) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 5 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 25 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 23, 2003 (2003 - 09 - 23) </Td> <Td> May 18, 2004 (2004 - 05 - 18) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 6 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 23 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 21, 2004 (2004 - 09 - 21) </Td> <Td> May 24, 2005 (2005 - 05 - 24) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 7 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 22 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 20, 2005 (2005 - 09 - 20) </Td> <Td> May 16, 2006 (2006 - 05 - 16) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 8 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 22 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 19, 2006 (2006 - 09 - 19) </Td> <Td> May 22, 2007 (2007 - 05 - 22) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 9 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 19 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 25, 2007 (2007 - 09 - 25) </Td> <Td> May 13, 2008 (2008 - 05 - 13) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 10 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 22 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 23, 2008 (2008 - 09 - 23) </Td> <Td> June 2, 2009 (2009 - 06 - 02) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 11 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 24 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 23, 2009 (2009 - 09 - 23) </Td> <Td> May 19, 2010 (2010 - 05 - 19) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 12 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 24 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 22, 2010 (2010 - 09 - 22) </Td> <Td> May 18, 2011 (2011 - 05 - 18) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 13 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 23 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 21, 2011 (2011 - 09 - 21) </Td> <Td> May 23, 2012 (2012 - 05 - 23) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 14 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 24 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 26, 2012 (2012 - 09 - 26) </Td> <Td> May 22, 2013 (2013 - 05 - 22) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 15 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 24 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 25, 2013 (2013 - 09 - 25) </Td> <Td> May 21, 2014 (2014 - 05 - 21) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 16 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 23 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 24, 2014 (2014 - 09 - 24) </Td> <Td> May 20, 2015 (2015 - 05 - 20) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 17 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 23 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 23, 2015 (2015 - 09 - 23) </Td> <Td> May 25, 2016 (2016 - 05 - 25) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 18 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 21 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 21, 2016 (2016 - 09 - 21) </Td> <Td> May 24, 2017 (2017 - 05 - 24) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 19 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 22 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 27, 2017 (2017 - 09 - 27) </Td> <Td> TBA </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Total number of law and order svu episodes