The BEST episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 16

Every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 16, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 16!

Delves into the dark side of the NYC underworld as the detectives investigate and prosecute various sexually oriented crimes, including rape, pedophilia, domestic violence, and the abuses of children, the disabled, and elderly victims of non-sexual crimes who require specialist handling, all while trying to balance the effects of the investigation on their own lives as they try not to let the dark side of these crimes affect them.

Last Updated: 4/28/2024Network: NBCStatus: Continuing
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Daydream Believer (3)
star
8.70
80 votes

#1 - Daydream Believer (3)

Season 16 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/29/2015

Benson and Voight lead their teams in the investigation of a rape/murder case that is frighteningly similar to a case from New York a decade ago. When forced to release their main suspect, the Chicago PD joins the SV Unit in New York in pursuit of Yates. (We Called Her Jellybean (1) aired on Chicago Fire, season 3, episode 21. The Number of Rats (2) aired on Chicago P.D., season 2, episode 20.)

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Chicago Crossover (2)
star
8.50
53 votes

#2 - Chicago Crossover (2)

Season 16 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/12/2014

Sergeant Hank Voight and Detectives Erin Lindsay and Jay Halstead track a child pornography victim to his last-known whereabouts in New York City, where Sergeant Benson and the SVU squad get a new lead – evidence of a livestreamed pornography “club” that caters to its subscriber’s shocking requests. When Lindsay discovers someone from her past is involved, she hopes it will help lead them to the site’s ringleader, but tensions between Voight and Benson could threaten the case. (Nobody Touches Anything (1) aired on Chicago Fire, season 3, episode 7. They’ll Have to Go Through Me (3) aired on Chicago P.D., season 2, episode 7.)

Directors: Steve Shill
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Padre Sandunguero
star
8.50
53 votes

#3 - Padre Sandunguero

Season 16 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/21/2015

When his father is arrested, Amaro must choose between his badge and his family’s honor.

Directors: Mariska Hargitay
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Devastating Story
star
8.50
53 votes

#4 - Devastating Story

Season 16 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/1/2015

Popular television host Skip Peterson airs an interview with college student Heather Manning, who claims she was gang raped in a fraternity house. While the tragic account of Heather's story brings national attention to the epidemic of rape on campus, the sensational details of the she-said, they-said case leaves Sgt. Benson and ADA Barba with several suspects and a rocky trial.

Directors: Michael Slovis
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Perverted Justice
star
8.50
53 votes

#5 - Perverted Justice

Season 16 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/6/2015

A woman who accused her father of raping her when she was six now says the accusations were false. With the help of attorney Bayard Ellis and retired captain Cragen, SVU tries to get to the truth and make sure justice is served.

Directors: Alex Chapple
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Decaying Morality
star
8.40
80 votes

#6 - Decaying Morality

Season 16 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/4/2015

Two families are left to pick up the pieces of their lives when a rape case goes terribly wrong.

Directors: Michael Pressman
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Undercover Mother
star
8.40
80 votes

#7 - Undercover Mother

Season 16 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/18/2015

Working undercover to bust a sex trafficking ring, Det. Carisi stumbles upon Martha Thornhill, a mother who has embedded herself as a Madame in the organization for three years in hopes of finding and saving her daughter, Ariel. Martha joins forces with the SVU and they work together to bust the pimp and his cohorts, but Ariel is still missing. Meanwhile, Sgt. Benson is confronted with a harsh revelation that will change her life forever.

Directors: Steve Shill
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Holden's Manifesto
star
8.00
26 votes

#8 - Holden's Manifesto

Season 16 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/15/2014

The team tries to find a bike messenger – who has kept a video diary of his troubles with women – before he can commit another violent act; the new deputy chief calls Benson’s leadership into question.

Directors: Jean de Segonzac
Watch Now:Apple TV
Pattern Seventeen
star
8.00
80 votes

#9 - Pattern Seventeen

Season 16 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/10/2014

Rollins connects a series of assaults to several rapes she worked in Atlanta. Meanwhile, a family court judge threatens to remove Noah from Benson's care.

Directors: Martha Mitchell
Writer: Kevin Fox
Watch Now:Apple TV
Forgiving Rollins
star
8.00
53 votes

#10 - Forgiving Rollins

Season 16 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/7/2015

Atlanta's Deputy Chief Charles Patton and his newest detective, Reese Taymor visit New York for a law enforcement conference. When Reese is found unconscious in her hotel bathroom, she cries rape at the scene but changes her story when Sgt. Benson arrives. When Rollins uncovers a personal connection to the suspect, ADA Barba seeks her help in the courtroom and she’s forced to confront the demons of her past to stop a dangerous predator.

Directors: Michael Slovis
Watch Now:Apple TV
December Solstice
star
8.00
80 votes

#11 - December Solstice

Season 16 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/25/2015

The two daughters of an elderly writer suffering from dementia accuse his current wife of abusing him by giving erectile dysfunction pills to produce a new heir.

Directors: Sharat Raju
Writer: Ed Zuckerman
Watch Now:Apple TV
Agent Provocateur
star
7.80
107 votes

#12 - Agent Provocateur

Season 16 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/14/2015

A teenager is sexually assaulted and left for dead in an alley after attending a movie star's party; Benson is suspicious when security footage from the party goes missing.

Directors: Alex Chapple
Watch Now:Apple TV
Parole Violations
star
7.70
79 votes

#13 - Parole Violations

Season 16 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/25/2015

Detective Carisi's sister Bella prepares for her wedding to fiancé Tommy Sullivan and the upcoming birth of their child. But when Tommy falls back into bad habits and accuses his parole officer of rape, Carisi must investigate whether the claim is real or just another one of Tommy's excuses.

Directors: Jean de Segonzac
Watch Now:Apple TV
Glasgowman's Wrath
star
7.70
80 votes

#14 - Glasgowman's Wrath

Season 16 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/5/2014

Three young girls' search for a mythical character leads to one of them becoming injured and the other two disappearing.

Directors: Jean de Segonzac
Watch Now:Apple TV
American Disgrace
star
7.50
53 votes

#15 - American Disgrace

Season 16 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/1/2014

When a series of allegations are made against a superstar basketball player, Sgt. Benson and Detective Carisi do not agree on the authenticity of each woman's story; the investigation takes Rollins back to her former precinct.

Directors: Alex Chapple
Watch Now:Apple TV
Producer's Backend
star
7.50
53 votes

#16 - Producer's Backend

Season 16 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/2014

Amaro's by-the-book handling of a starlet's arrest gets him back on the SVU squad in time to investigate the actress's latest offense, statutory rape.

Directors: Michael Pressman
Watch Now:Apple TV
Parents' Nightmare
star
7.50
53 votes

#17 - Parents' Nightmare

Season 16 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/13/2015

8 year-old Owen Farhidi disappears from school and his mother Dana receives a ransom request. Detectives soon uncover that the boy knew his abductor, but friction between his parents impedes the investigation. Meanwhile, Benson must take an exam to formalize her promotion.

Directors: Jean de Segonzac
Watch Now:Apple TV
Surrendering Noah
star
7.50
53 votes

#18 - Surrendering Noah

Season 16 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/20/2015

Sgt. Benson and ADA Barba take Johnny D to trial for sex trafficking, rape, assault and kidnapping. But when Baby Noah's adoption becomes entangled in the case, Benson fears for Noah's future and his safety. In an intense courtroom showdown, the SVU will face a threat that could change the squad forever.

Directors: Michael Slovis
Watch Now:Apple TV
Girls Disappeared
star
7.00
26 votes

#19 - Girls Disappeared

Season 16 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/24/2014

Benson struggles to balance work and her new role of foster mother; when Amaro arrests a young prostitute with connections to Noah's mother, his undercover work sets off a dangerous chain of events.

Directors: Jean de Segonzac
Watch Now:Apple TV
Pornstar's Requiem
star
7.00
80 votes

#20 - Pornstar's Requiem

Season 16 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/22/2014

A college student becomes a target after her work as an online porn star is discovered by her classmates.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Granting Immunity
star
7.00
26 votes

#21 - Granting Immunity

Season 16 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/8/2015

Pornographic photos from 15 year-old Savannah Biel's house party quickly circulate around her Tribeca high school and go viral. Barba's efforts to arrest the student responsible for posting the images is stalled when several suspects fall victim to a fast-moving measles outbreak. When Benson's foster son also catches the illness, she investigates a group of mothers who may have falsified their children's medical records. Meanwhile, Amaro receives some distressing news about his son.

Directors: Holly Dale
Watch Now:Apple TV
Spousal Privilege
star
6.50
53 votes

#22 - Spousal Privilege

Season 16 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/19/2014

A domestic-violence dispute involving a sportscaster and his girlfriend is uncovered on security-camera footage from a parking garage, but the girlfriend is reluctant to seek legal help because she doesn't want her family to break apart.

Directors: Sharat Raju
Watch Now:Apple TV
Intimidation Game
star
6.33
109 votes

#23 - Intimidation Game

Season 16 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/11/2015

Video game developer Raina Punjabi solidifies the launch of her first game amid a stream of online insults, intimidation and death threats from the male-dominated gaming community. When a female employee is assaulted at a gamer convention, Detective Tutuola investigates the crime but Raina refuses to delay the launch, and the cops must “level up” to protect her.

Directors: Jean de Segonzac
Watch Now:Apple TV