New characters joining an existing programme can prove a problem. There is the worry that they will not fit in or that the dynamic of the show will be somehow diminished - so full marks to former rapper Ice-T for his blistering portrayal of super cool, street wise Detective Fin Tutuola, transferred into the existing team from Vice and teamed with the thrice married, cynical, witty and embittered John Munch (Richard Belzer). A double act made in heaven they spark off each other perfectly - sample dialogue;

Munch "Come on, you must have some dark secret?"
Fin (deadpan) "I'm a Republican".

The team of Benson and Stabler - single girl and married family man - continues to lead the investigative group, but other characters are regularly orbitting the team and every episode is simply brilliant.

Tough viewing (cert 15) the subject matter of rapists, child molesters etc makes harrowing entertainment, but episodes such as "Countdown" with against the clock searches for an abducted child will keep the viewer on the very edge of their seat. "Manhunt", on the other hand, although the chilling search for a serial killer, is lightened when it becomes a road trip for Fin and Munch! These 2 New Yorkers out of their comfort zone are a joy to behold and the witty dialogue is funny, yet manages to reveal more about the characters.

No extras with the 21 episodes, but the box set is fairly priced at Amazon and is one to buy, to watch, and to keep.

The second season of Law and Order SVU marks two kinds of changes, which helped greatly in transforming very good series in a total masterpiece. The first change is in the casting - Dean Winters (Cassidy) and Michelle Hurt (Jefferies) left the show and were replaced in the squad by one new member. Ice-T, who plays detective Odafin Tutuola, gives a major performance and is a delight to watch. Even better - pairing him the with the life scarred, permanently bitching, hypochondriac, plot obsessed, wisecracking detective John Munch (magistrally played by Richard Belzer) was a genius move. "Fin" and Munch are simply incredible. They exchanges -well, let's just say you do not hear this kind of things every day.
Another new arrival is the Assistant DA Alexandra Cabot, impressively beautiful but very cold, highly ambitious, frequently unscrupolous and really not so nice prosecutor who specialises in Special Victims cases. She is interpreted by Alexandra March, a very talented actres (and amazingly gorgeous woman). She adds a lot to the show.
The rest of the cast is as impressive as in the first season - Christopher Meloni (det Stabler), Mariska Hargitay (det Benson), Dann Florek (cpt Cragen) and of course Richard Belzer (det Munch) are on the top of their abilities and their performance is spotless.
The second great change is that the show gets more focus. The personal issues of Olivia Benson are sidelined and progressively dropped, which is a good thing. The general tone of second season is even darker and somehow more pessimistic than in the first one, which makes the show more realistic - pedagogic and moralising attempts, sometimes present before, are absent now. It is straight police and justice work, with its prosaic daily reality and a lot of very grim moments. With this change the show climbs to the high level, which it maintained ever since.
I believe that all episodes are very good - not even one can be considered as weak. Some however go even higher and reach perfection. "Noncompliance", which involves a schizophrenic witness, is one of those, as is "Secrets", which involves specialised and discreet clubs for adults, and "Wrong is right", which is so good, that nothing should be said about it, to prevent spoilers. "Asunder" is one the very few episodes of SVU in which there is a lighter, sometimes almost humouristic story. "Countdown" is extremely upsetting (in a positive way), but also very tragic - be warned, it is very tough stuff. "Abuse" is possibly the most heart breaking of all the season and features a very young guest star, who since made a brilliant career - Hayden Panettiere (gosh, she really COULD act,even then!). "Manhunt" is so good, that I just couldn't believe it lasted only 50 minutes - I had the impression that I watched a full time big screen movie! You will be also able to watch Khandi Alexander in a great performance, before she became one of the stars of CSI Miami (in "Paranoia").
This is a great, great show, worth every penny. But - be warned. The topic is horrible, many victims are children, not all the cases can be solved and not all those solved can be prosecuted. Some of the stories will leave you heartbroken and on edge of tears - some can be even more shocking. So by all means, watch it - with delight but also with some apprehension.

I have to confess right at the start, that i am a big fan of TV drama, in particular from the USA front of Bruckheimer (most Hallmark drama) and Dick Wolf, the creator of the Law and Order franchise.

I treated myself to this season as a Christmas present (I was given an Amazon voucher so had to learn how to use the site to spend it!) in addition to the second season of Law and Order: Criminal Intent (another part of the franchise dealing with high profile and corporate crime and another highly recommended buy!) already owing the first three seasons of Law and Order and the first season of both SVU and CI.


The season picks up where the last left off on the cliffhanger that saw broth Stadler and Jeffries' jobs under thread from the psych review that took place within the SVU previously. This situation is resolved although i shan't say how so as not to spoil anything, but this storyline does pave the way for the introduction of the character played by Ice-T who in my opinion is brilliant, working well and integrating with the now established cast. My one problem (not even a problem)found with this season is (and UK fans may get this more than anyone else)that i couldn't keep a straight face for one episode due to the man in the Orange adverts playing an attorney for one of the characters... but that is no fault of the series.

Also appearing in this season is Khandi Alexander (later to appear in the CSI franchise as an M.E) playing a detective who is raped whilst on duty, in a particularly good episode.

If you have seen the first season of SVU then this is certainly as good, if not better, as the establishement of the cast makes for tighter acting and better on screen rapport, and if you haven't then whilst you are missing out it isn't imperative that you have to have seen it to enjoy this season, and you will probably want to see the first season anyhow!

Now i'm just waiting for season three to appear so i can get on with it!