When a baseball fan despised for costing the team the pennant is killed in a bar, Detectives Briscoe and Green connect the crime to Walter Grimes, a man released from prison after 20 years for a murder he didn't commit. Attorney Rodney Fallon (played by Giancarlo Esposito) argues he's innocent because his time as a wrongfully convicted man made him a murderer. 

McCoy and Southerlyn find the cop who originally framed him. He says the bloody knife he planted was from a different murder committed by Grimes. The prosecutors must rely on planted evidence and the dirty cop to prove the defendant was already a killer before being set up. 

We’re talking about Law & Order season 14 episode 21 “Vendetta.” Our ten-time returning guest is Sarah D. Bunting.

This episode draws inspiration from the infamous 2003 Steve Bartman foul ball incident at Wrigley Field.

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Benson and Stabler investigate the murder of a pregnant woman found in a burning apartment. A shameless golddigger, she worked for wealthy coffee importer Pierson Bartlett (played by Stephen Collins) and was his son PJ's fiancée.  But those paternal bonds are strained when Warner says the baby belonged to Pierson, not PJ. 

Novak charges them both with conspiracy to commit murder, but someone bribed a juror to get a mistrial. Father and son are ready to flip on each other. That's when Elliot and Olivia find a hidden camera in the victim's bedroom. It shows the killer is Avery, PJ's lawyer who has secretly loved him since college. After she races to the roof, everyone tries to talk Avery off the ledge. But in an effort to protect him from Pierson, Avery grabs PJ and pulls him over the side, where they both fall to their deaths.

We are talking about Special Victims Unit season 9 episode 18 "Trade." Our guest is Arielle Nissenblatt from the EarBuds Podcast Collective.

While the plot of this episode appears to be largely fictional, the inspiration for the victim of the crime may be Kitty Pappas.

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The squad searches for a rapist who has been targeting lesbians. Their suspect is a heavy metal vampire, but a blood bank employee gives him a solid alibi. Frustrated by the pace of the investigation, a radical lesbian group pickets SVU. Leader Babs Duffy (Kathy Griffin) has a way of insulting everybody, then becomes a target herself. She's placed in protective custody where she makes a move to kiss Benson, who says "That's not on the menu." Olivia might not be gay, but she lets their lesbian-hating prime suspect think she is. The perp's motive: he thinks he can turn his victims straight because he's so good at making the sex.

We're going back to our September 23, 2019 podcast, about SVU season 11 episode 13 “P.C.” Our guest is Haley Manrique from the "We're Not Together" podcast.

This episode takes cues from the political movement known as Radical Lesbianism.

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While investigating a man stabbed in the groin, Benson and Stabler learn the victim and his wife frequent a sex club. The partners go undercover as swingers and meet the victim's paramour, Cassandra (Rose McGowan). They suspect her jealous ex-boyfriend, Doug, might be the attacker. Elliot and Olivia are shocked to learn that not only have Cassandra and Doug been running a con on the unsuspecting victim, they're actually twins committing - as Stabler calls it - "twincest."

We're looking at SVU season 12 episode 19 "Bombshell." Our guest from the September 12, 2018 episode is Toronto Sun sex & relationship columnist Simone Paget. 

The inspiration for one of the characters is burlesque star Dita von Teese.

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After an extended undercover assignment, Benson is reunited with Stabler to investigate the poisoning of a model. The case involves drugs, a mute eyewitness, a rabid dog, and an affair between the victim's husband and Naomi, a beautiful dancer (Catherine Bell). Later, the detectives learn her husband Glenn (Bob Saget) has secretly implanted a microchip in his wife to keep tabs on her. He confesses to the revenge murder, but the chip has made Naomi gravely ill. Glenn donates part of his liver to save Naomi before being wheeled back to jail.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 8 episode 9 "Choreographed." Our guest from the February 1, 2017 episode is "Outside/In" and "Bear Brook" senior producer Taylor Quimby - better known to our fans as Uncanny Valleys, the composer of our catchy theme song.

Though not based on a crime, this SVU episode is inspired by the true story of microchip enthusiast Amal Graafstra.

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Benson and Stabler have an open-and-shut case against psycho killer Peter Harrison. But annoying lab tech Dale Stuckey makes an error with the bloody knife, leaving Judge Donnelly no choice but to set the suspect free. Munch and Fin tail Harrison to Coney Island and "chase" him through a fun house before another body is discovered. Soon the detectives are dealing with booby traps, secret lairs with secret tunnels, poison-filled needles and poison-filled gas. Munch reaches out to his mentally ill ex-wife (Carol Kane) to help capture the elusive culprit. While visiting the crime lab, Stabler discovers the killer's DNA belongs to Stuckey. After taking Elliot hostage, he admits to framing Harrison and targeting those who've embarrassed him. Benson tricks Stuckey into thinking she loves him by slapping the hell out of Stabler. When Olivia goes in for a kiss, Elliot kicks Stuckey and knocks him out.

We're going back to our October 11, 2017 episode to look at Special Victims Unit 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.

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Police discover an unconscious man in Central Park who's been the victim of a theft - of his kidney! Det Sgt Max Greavey and Det Mike Logan learn the daughter of wealthy Phillip Woodleigh suddenly withdrew from the organ transplant list. They discover surgeon James Reberty rented portable surgical equipment and find bloody bandages at his nurse’s apartment. 

ADA Paul Robinette says Reberty didn’t sew off the renal artery, suggesting he wanted the victim/donor to die. EADA Ben Stone believes Woodleigh paid the surgeon $2 million to get a kidney for his daughter…by any means necessary.  

We're talking about Law & Order season 1 episode 21 "Sonata for Solo Organ."

Our guest from our May 22, 2019 episode is Dan Taberski, from "Missing Richard Simmons," "Running from COPS," and “Hysterical.” The episode was inspired by the 1989 organ scandal involving Amhet Koc.

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Benson and Stabler look for a man who impersonated a cop on the phone and tricked a man into strip searching his employee. The trail leads to Merritt Rook (Robin Williams, in an Emmy-nominated performance), who squares off in court against Novak and wins an acquittal. 

Rook becomes a folk hero, saying we’ve all become sheep to authority. He organizes a flash mob in Grand Central Station where he kidnaps Olivia. Elliot tracks Rook to a recording studio where he’s holding his partner. Stabler hears Benson’s shrieks of pain from electric shocks, but they’re only sound effects. As the detectives arrest him, this supervillain has one more trick up his sleeve: he activates an explosive that blows up the studio and gets away. Benson and Stabler chase him to the banks of the East River, but Rook vanishes, never to be seen again.

We’re talking about SVU’s 200th episode: season nine, episode 17, “Authority.” Our guest from our February 27, 2019 show is Michelle Rubenstein from the "It Takes Three podcast" network. This episode was inspired by a 2004 phone scam at a Kentucky McDonald’s.

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When the Bakers, a chastity-espousing reality TV family, come to New York to celebrate Lane's purity ceremony, they discover the 13-year-old is pregnant. After interrogating a cameraman, Fin and Carisi learn that accusations of inappropriate touching by the oldest son, Graham, were buried by the Bakers' powerful supporters. Before Benson and Dodds can question him, the family pastor says the boy has been sent to a camp in Ecuador. After binge-watching their show, Rollins suspects Graham fathered a child with a different sister. But the DNA points in a different direction. The pastor himself has been preying on the daughters and blaming the son.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 17 episode 7* "Patrimonial Burden." Our returning guest is Melody Carlisle from the "Heaving Bosoms" podcast.

This episode is inspired by the scandal around reality TV stars, the Duggar family.

*Note: Because of a two-part season opener, some streaming services list this as episode 6.

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As Detectives Briscoe and Curtis work a drug sting, Lt. John Flynn shoots the dealer. Lenny backs up his old friend's story that Ruben Morales went for his gun, but Rey is suspicious about Flynn's connection to the dealer. They learn Morales was going to testify against a kingpin who had Flynn on his payroll. 

Prosecutors Jack McCoy and Jamie Ross want to charge Flynn with murder, but the dirty cop gets a deal in exchange for testifying before a police corruption commission. In front of the cameras, he accuses Briscoe of stealing drugs from the evidence locker. Lenny struggles to defend himself because the incident happened during his drinking days. The married woman he had an affair with comes forward to provide him with an alibi, but is humiliated by the commissioners. While wearing a wire, Briscoe gets Flynn to confirm his innocence. His perjury nullifies his deal, and before Lenny can take him in, Flynn shoots himself.

We're talking about Law & Order season 7 episode 5 "Corruption." Our special guest is author and NPR reporter Sonari Glinton.

This episode takes cues from the real life police scandal around drugs stolen from the famous "French Connection" operation.

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