Originally released in 1999 as a spin-off to Law & Order, SVU is now the longest-running show in the franchise and bases all its stories on the Special Victim's Unit that investigates crimes involving sexual assault.
The entire Law & Order franchise is full of cases that feel pulled from real life, and the Law & Order: SVU episodes based on true stories often take a crime that has shocked the nation and fictionalized it for the small screen.
