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August 25, 12:31 PM

Behind the Scenes Photos

As promised, here are some exclusive behind the scenes photos at the SVU set:

Here's an action shot of the crew at work:

Can anyone guess what we are shooting here?:

Can you guess from this angle?:

ANSWER: Our new live action opening. It's part of the opening credits. After the individual actors shots, there is a quick zoom out in which the actors are all together looking at the camera. WITH the addition of Michaela we redid the live action open for season 10.

We're going on a quick week break here, so I'll be back first week in September with some new stuff!

August 11, 12:13 PM

Guest Stars

So we just finished filming the premiere episode called "Trials". You won't be disappointed. Its 90210 meets Roseanne meets Ed meets Days of our Lives! You must be thinking: "What the heck is he talking about?" Well, I'm referring to the star-packed cast for the premiere: Luke Perry (Dylan from "90210"), Sara Gilbert (Darleen from "Roseanne"), Julie Bowen (from "Ed"), and NBC's own Days of our Lives' Mary Beth Evans makes a guest spot. The story is incredible also. So many twists and turns you'll be amazed by what you see! It's a great episode to kick off the season.

Lets see what kind of questions you all have for me:

Are there gonna be any famous guest stars on SVU?
Well I just finished telling you about the star-packed premiere. We also have James Brolin and Teri Polo, and we are only just starting to film Episode #3.

I noticed SVU has the same people, same faces, in their precinct scenes all the time, yet these nonspeaking people are never credited as to who they are? They can't be extras??
Well you are right and wrong. You are correct that it's the same people in the background. We do this to keep it as real as possible. Would a real police precinct have different cops working there everyday? Of course not. That's why we hire the same background actors. To answer your next question, they are in fact "extras." Just because you are a background actor (or "extra") doesn't mean you can't be a regular one.

Is Elliot gonna have his personal episode?
Keep your eyes/ears open for an episode called "Swing."

Any chance of some photos of filming we can see on the blog soon?
As you wish, check back in next week for some exclusive photos taken by me on the SVU set!

July 31, 03:35 PM

Emmy Announcements & Your Questions

Hi Everyone,
Just in case you haven't heard, SVU has earned three Emmy nominations this year: 1) Cynthia Nixon in "Alternate", 2) Robin Williams in "Authority", and 3) Mariska in " Undercover".

We couldn't be happier for them and I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who continue to watch and love SVU. It says something when a show is in its 10th season and still getting not just one but multiple Emmy nominations. You are all amazing!

Now on to some of your questions:
On 7/27 you asked: "Svumac, are you still the same person who was posting under this name at this time last year?"
ANSWER: Yes, I am the one and only SVUmac! Same guy since day 1 of the production blog.

On 7/26 Ephraim asked: "Back in an '06, in an interview Neal Baer was asked if there was a possibility for Elliot and Olivia to ever get together. In that interview he said something along the lines of, "You never can say never." Some of us were wondering if that statement still holds true? Is there still a chance?"
ANSWER: I'm sorry because I know many you want to get away from the E/O involvement questions, but Ephraim asked so I will answer. I've confirmed with Neal Baer himself, and the statement "you can never say never" is absolutely still true.

On 7/24 Zora asked: "What's going to happen to the Munch and Fin partnership this season? Can you tell us any info at all as to whether they will have a lot more screen time this season than the last couple of seasons?"
ANSWER: Thanks for the question Zora. I'd love to tell you that Munch and Fin are going to have more screen time together, however that is based on the fact that Fin is staying at SVU. As we left it at the end of season 9, Fin wanted out. So all I can say is stay tuned for the season premiere on 9/23 to see if Fin stays or gets his transfer.

July 22, 01:14 PM

More Fan Questions

On July 11th "Janice" had a great post with a few questions. I want to respond.

FIRST QUESTION: Why didn't Benson tell captain Harris she was a cop when he had her in the basement?
ANSWER: Every one has his or her own opinion about why Benson didn't announce she was a cop to Harris. I have two reasons why I feel she didn't: 1) Benson was currently locked in a basement with this rapist and was pretty much helpless. If she told Harris she was a cop what do you think Harris would have done? He would have killed her to save himself and spin it into some way that a "prisoner" died, like we heard earlier in the episode. As strong and trained as Benson is, she was an unarmed woman and trapped in a basement with an armed, over powering male guard. 2) My second reason is that Benson (as the great cop she is) wanted to get enough on Harris to arrest him and make it stick. Granted that point came very quickly, but initially that could have been part of Benson's reasoning.

QUESTION #2: Will that be answered when they revisit what happened in undercover?
ANSWER: An experience like the one Benson had cannot be ignored. Benson will continue to deal with this (watch episode one, September 23rd!) and it will be addressed in the season to come.

QUESTION: What will happen to Detective Fin?
ANSWER: As you know Fin has had just about enough of Stabler and wants a transfer. I'm not giving up any inside info on this because it's going to be addressed in the season premiere on 9/23. And Stabler will have a little shocker too!

July 15, 01:06 PM

Introducing Michaela McManus

As promised, we wanted to give our Blog fans first dibs at our new cast member: Michaela McManus.

Michaela comes to us from the TV series "One Tree Hill" and we couldn't be happier to have her! She is originally from Rhode Island but went to Fordham University for undergrad and NYU for grad school, so we consider her a NY native.

Her character: ADA Kim Grayleck has a great back-story. She is a hot-shot young DC up-and-coming lawyer who has recently separated from her husband, also a government lawyer. Her marriage is at an end because Grayleck used information her husband gave her in confidence to blow the whistle on a Congressman involved in a sexual harassment case. She had been dealing with the policy-making side of sex crimes for years and worked for the Federal Office of Violence Against Women. So she works hard to keep things like what her husband leaked about the congressman from happening.

After losing her husband and many friends, too many people in DC developed a negative opinion about her biting the hand that feeds you. This sends Grayleck spinning. She reexamines her life and career and comes to the realization that it's the victims she wants to help. So she jumps ship to NYC and makes a lateral move into the Manhattan DA's office (she's no baby ADA, she's a proven trial attorney).

She's a crusader, she's a newly single woman not interested in dating, and she's going to pour all of her energy into her work. ADA Kim Grayleck is going to take on all comers!

July 11, 01:32 PM

Hi everyone!

So I just wanted to let everyone know the production at SVU has resumed. Even though episodes don't start airing until September, I'll be updating and posting here on the SVU Blog all summer. Check back next week and you'll be the first to learn about our new ADA and what her story is.

Glad to be back!

May 01, 09:21 AM

200th Episode!

As I'm sure so many of you were aware, last week's episode was SVU's 200th. I decided it was only fitting to share some photos from our on set celebration of that milestone.

Can't celebrate without cake!

Continue reading "200th Episode!" »

April 23, 02:56 PM

Giants Stadium Scouting

So what did everyone think about episode #199: "Closet?" It seems as though Bill Pullman's character, Kurt Foss, will not last with Benson. Keep watching and you might see some more "secrets" about our detectives that you didn't know about.

To step away from the actors for a second: This was one of the crew’s favorite shows to shoot considering we got to film at Giants Stadium. We got to see the Jets’ and Giants' locker rooms, the Giants' weight training room, and best of all BE ON THE FIELD. The crew was having 100-yard dash races and were trying to kick field goals. I hit a 45-yarder, unfortunately none of the Giants scouts were watching, haha.

Continue reading "Giants Stadium Scouting" »

April 18, 12:27 PM

Going Undercover

I'm glad everyone liked "Undercover." After reading your responses, a lot of people are pointing out how hard it was to see such a strong, independent woman like Benson have to struggle as a victim. SVU fan345 said it best: "She's supposed to be the protector so to see her needing to be protected was hard." Benson is the protector we've seen for so long, but Tuesday's episode showed that Benson is both a strong cop and a real woman. Trapped in a prison basement, Benson tried to save herself with her police training, but it was obvious that training wasn't going to be enough to save her. In the end, her training kept him away from her long enough for Fin to rescue her at the last minute. I too think this was one of Mariska's best performances on SVU.

I'm also noticing that many people heard about Diane Neal. This wouldn't be a production blog if I didn't confirm the rumors to be true. I am sorry to say she will not be returning next season -- and on our season finale "Cold" (set to air on May 13th), you'll find out why. We are going to miss her terribly.

Continue reading "Going Undercover" »

April 14, 01:29 PM

Answering Your Questions

So in response to an overwhelming amount of questions about Benson's boyfriend:

Yes, Bill Pullman is playing Benson's boyfriend. Is it a long term thing? You'll have to watch "Closet" on April 22 to find out!

Is Vincent Spano out of the picture? I wouldn't say that. I know so many of you out there feel a connection to Benson and really want us to get more into her love life. I am not a writer or a producer but I can tell you to be patient and stay tuned.

On 4/8 Fearless4LifeJHF asked:
1. Do you guys shoot in the same locations (when you're not on a sound stage) most of the time and just change things up to make it look different, or do you change locations each episode?

2. Also, I saw you were shooting last Friday in Grand Central Station, and I was wondering how you work around the hundreds of people walking through constantly while you're filming. Do you just work them into the shot (ie: are the crowds in the shot really just the crowd there at the time) or did you rope off the part of the station you used (even though I noticed Chris & Mariska ran through most of the main concourse!) and then use the extras you chose as the people in your crowd?

1. There are certain areas where we like to shoot when we are not at the sound stage, but not in the same apartment or specific location. Any film crew will tell you they'd rather shoot in a quieter neighborhood as opposed to Times Square, as everything goes quicker with smaller crowds around. A good example is when we have scenes that are scripted in Central Park. Regulations and times when we can shoot in the real Central Park are restrictive, so we often use a park somewhere else in the city and make it seem like it's Central Park.

2. Believe it or not, all the people you saw in the Grand Central Terminal scene were hired background actors. We have PA's stop foot traffic when we are actually rolling, so the crowds of people you saw were all actors. Since you saw that we were shooting, you are aware that we were shooting at off peak hours at Grand Central so it would be easier to control the crowds. Occasionally people are seen who aren't hired background. However, we have HUGE signs posted all over our sets stating that we are filming and that people's entrances into the area is their agreement and acknowledgment that they may be seen and we have the right to use the footage they are seen in.

On 4/6 Olivia S asked:
"Do Chris and Mariska respond to Olivia and Elliot or Benson and Stabler since so many people know them as their acting roles instead of their real names?"
As with any actor/s who have been playing the same role for some time, our actors are used to being called by their character names. Would they prefer to be called by their real names in public? I'm sure they would.

April 03, 07:58 PM

Behind the Scenes

Hi All,

So here's some more behind the scene photos. It's a sneak peak into one of our remaining episodes for Season 9.

Look like an old school Record Studio?

Bye-bye building. The trick here: It's not a real building. We just built the façade of the front of a record studio then blew out the windows and doors. It looks so real that the post office actually dropped off phone books the night after we built it (look at the door step of the first photo again). Where are the actors you ask?

Continue reading "Behind the Scenes" »

March 13, 05:46 PM

Answering Your Questions

On 3/7 Jason Porta asked:
What do you mean by "we will be completing season 9"? Does that mean that all of the episodes ordered at the beginning of the season (I think 22 is the standard these days) will be done?

Many shows will not be finishing their seasons and will return in the Fall. SVU will not wait until the Fall to bring you new episodes! We will have five new episodes starting April 15th (giving us 19 episodes for season 9).

On 3/7 Fearless4LifeJHF asked:
A couple of questions:

3. Can you give us any clues as to who may be guest starring in the rest of this season, or provide any juicy info on plots developing in upcoming episodes?

1. I don't think the writers feel pressure, I think every writer out there is just happy to start writing again. Some of our writers, one way or another, have been writing everyday for the last several years so having to stop was just as hard on them as it was on everyone. I can't speak for other shows, but I know our writers at SVU definitely want to make every episode amazing, and the last five will be memorable.

2. I don't think it was too difficult. Everyone was ready and itching to come back to work. So other then getting used to working the long hours I don't think it's been hard at all. Here at SVU we have really have hit the ground running. The time off felt like a break at school, and now the summer is over and we are ready to get back at it.

3. Here's some juice for you: Look for Benson to go under cover on April 15th, look out for an episode filming at the home of the Superbowl Champs: Giants Stadium, and as far as guest stars, keep an eye out for our 200th episodes currently scheduled to air April 29th with a VERY special guest star.

Talk to you later!

March 04, 06:39 PM

We're Back!

Sorry for the delay all, but I'm glad to say we at SVU are back to work. March 3rd was our first day of shooting and we are already rolling along. More good news: we will be completing Season 9. Production will be turning episodes around for you as fast as we can, so come mid April we will be back with ALL NEW episodes. One of which will be SVU's 200th episode!

I want to thank everyone to for continuing to visit and post comments on the site. I'm going to do my best to go through all of them and make some responses, so when we start airing new episodes we'll be all caught up.

Looking forward to starting the Production Blog up again!

November 06, 08:59 PM

Hi all!

No rerun tonight, we are back with an all-new SVU episode called "Svengali." The Art Department here at SVU did great work on this episode, as they created around eighteen different comic book covers from scratch. I'll bring you through the process from start to finish of one of the key covers, comic book #9 "Shafted".

It starts with what's called an idea sketch from our Production Designer.

Continue reading "Hi all!" »

October 30, 08:17 PM

Lots of Questions and Answers

Recently Chelie posted a few great questions: 1) On the set, when reading a script for the first time, how long do actors have to memorize it? 2) Also, is it the emotional work that is the hardest thing on camera? 3) Do your actors ever get tired of the on camera and wish they were doing stage? 4)How do you guys kill time behind the scenes when you're not filming or not in a scene?

Today's your lucky day Chelie, as I'm going to answer all these questions...

Continue reading "Lots of Questions and Answers" »