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Gabriella protected by Det. Rollins and Lieut. Benson, as she identifies the federal agent that separated her from her mother.

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The final scene that shows how easy it can be to help when knowing the right people, yet how haunting it is to see how many more still need the help.

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Benson and Jefferies Rescue Gabriela - Law & Order: SVU (Episode Highlight)

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The two long lasting actors on the series reflect on 20 years working together

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The two long lasting actors on the series reflect on 20 years working together

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Mariska Hargitay and Ice T Reflect on 20 Years of Working Together on Law & Order: SVU

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ADA Peter Stone, though not in favor of the case, fighting against the federal government in regards to the arrest of the federal agent.

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Mariska Hargitay says SVU had such a strong impact on so many viewers, where they would send letters of their own experiences, it overwhelmed her and inspired her to take action.

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Mariska Hargitay Discusses How Playing Olivia Benson Changed Her Life | The View

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By

There is nothing I love more than spending all day watching an Law and Order: SVU marathon. Not always watching, necessarily. More like listening while reading the Internet or sometimes drifting off into naps. Because yes, SVU is what I put on to nap. That's because after watching nearly 350 hours of this show, it has become a non-fat equivalent of mac and cheese and a bottle of wine. Just pure comfort.

And I'm not the only woman I know who feels this way. Nearly all of my good female friends are die-hard fans. (When the first seven seasons were removed from Netflix, my Twitter feed was basically a war zone.) My male friends, on the other hand, couldn't care less about whether Benson and Stabler should ever get together or that time Robin Williams faked an alibi by doing an elaborate series of impressions. So what is it with women and SVU? Here are seven theories:
19 hilarious Law & Order: SVU lines out of context
1. Wish-fulfilment: The legal system in this country is f---ed. And everyone knows it too. After what happened in Ferguson, Steubenville, and every single state that's passed laws restricting women's control over their own bodies, there is barely any pretense left that the police force and legal system are pure forces of good. That's why SVU is so easy to love. When you watch an episode, you get to pretend for 44 minutes that we live in a world where people actually fight for justice for the disenfranchised. It's a world where cops are more likely to take a bullet for you than put a bullet in you and ADAs are actually concerned about not re-traumatizing victims during trials. But SVU also doesn't exist in a fairy-tale world where the good guys always win. By creating an idealized reality interspersed with reminders of real injustice, SVU is just relatable enough for the stories to hit home, but enjoyable enough to become a much-needed escape.

2. Olivia Benson: While the original Law & Order endured numerous cast shakeups, it's unlikely that SVU would be able to survive the departure of Mariska Hargitay. That's because Olivia Benson is the show. She's the audience surrogate. She's the hero. She's been through the wringer, but she isn't "damaged." She'll do anything to protect the victims she encounters, but she isn't your typical Strong Female Character. Her relationship with Elliott Stabler - one that was based on respect rather than romance - will never be matched (but especially when they go undercover as a couple, oh my God!). There's a reason Taylor Swift named her cat after Benson. She's perfect.

3. It knows how (and when) to keep it light: This show is dark. As the title card plainly states, SVU focuses on "sexually based offenses" which are "considered especially heinous" and often directed at women and children. There's child prostitution, serial rapists, incest, fatal domestic violence - whatever horrible thing you can imagine, they've covered it. Normally, a show like this would be practically unwatchable, but SVU finds ways to add a little levity without ever downplaying the seriousness of the issues they're covering. I'm talking Ice-T's one liners, Ice-T's facial expressions, everything about Ice-T really. Not to mention the time Captain Cragen rescued a monkey in a basketball or whenever they've had to name a hilarious fake website.
8 bubble shows: Which will survive?
4. It's not just torture porn: There are all sorts of reasons one can throw out for why people shouldn't watch SVU.Yes, it supports the culture of consuming violence against women as entertainment. And yes, it contributes to the myth that false rape reports are a common occurrence. But at least they're talking about rape and trying to do so (mostly successfully) in a sensitive manner. Sexual assault is something rarely handled with care on television, making shows like SVU even more inspiring for victims who get to see these experiences taken seriously for once. And this is a popular, long-running broadcast show that regularly has conversations about the existence of rape culture. That's a big deal!

5. It's comfortingly predictable: The Law and Order franchise is known for its last-minute twists, but even these fit into a set of easily recognizable patterns. Do you spot a celebrity guest star? They did it. Was the perp arrested in the first 15 minutes? They didn't do it. Is a married couple bickering on their way home? They're about to find a dead body. No matter the episode or how many twists it may feature, it never strays too far from the formula. You know there will be a beginning, middle and end with comforting DUN-DUNs sandwiched in between. This helps keep the suspense at a level that's just enough to be intensely compelling but never so overwhelming that you can't watch it for eight hours straight.

6. It's instructive: When one thinks of "girly shows," images of star-crossed romance, shirtless CW hunks and Sex and the City-like gab sessions come to mind. And while it's true that men are more likely to watch violence on screen than women, it's women who are actually drawn more to true crime. And while not every episode is "ripped from the headlines," the violence on SVU does touch a very real, very true nerve. You'd be hard-pressed to find a woman that wasn't aware of the danger inherent in lacking a certain protruding feature of genitalia. And by watching shows like SVU, you feel like you're watching a how-to guide for surviving. You can learn warning signs, escape techniques, processes to healing and whatever it is you want to know about preventing yourself from becoming a victim.It also enables you to internalize the thing that scares you the most and overcome it, even if only in a small way. Basically, it's just like becoming Batman. Of course, this quickly becomes a snake eating its own tail because in addition to normalizing these fears, consuming so many images of violence can easily just create more. Two steps forward, one step back.

7. It offers a source of solidarity for survivors: After experiencing sexual or physical abuse, it's common for survivors to become isolated as they struggle to cope with the aftereffects, which can include everything from substance abuse, PTSD, depression, and feelings of blame or self-hatred. While for some survivors a show like SVU can act as a negative trigger, for others it becomes a comforting assurance that they aren't alone and that these feelings are normal. It becomes a place to imagine a parallel reality where Olivia makes sure everyone is looking out for your best interests, Elliott beats up and eventually arrests your assailant, Alex Cabot (or one of those lamer ADAs) gets him convicted and B.D. Wong counsels you along the way. It's basically the dream. Albeit a very twisted one.

Why do you think so many women love SVU?

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7 Reasons Why Women Love Law & Order: SVU So Much | TV Guide

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By There is nothing I love more than spending all day watching an Law and Order: SVU marathon. Not always watching, necessarily. More like listening while reading the Internet or sometimes drifting off into naps. Because yes, SVU is what I put on to nap.

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Nominations & Awards throughout the years

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Nominations & Awards throughout the years

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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Awards and Nominations

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"A new study suggests that watching shows in the NBC franchise positively educates viewers as to what constitutes rape while watching CSI does the opposite"

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The surveys found that exposure to Law & Order was associated with "lower rape-myth acceptance," greater intentions to seek consent for sexual activity, greater intentions to refuse unwanted sexual activity, and greater intentions to adhere to decisions related to sexual consent. By contrast, exposure to CSI was associated with lowered intentions to seek consent and a greater acceptance of rape myths. There were fewer significant findings related to NCIS, although exposure to the show was associated with lower intentions to refuse sexual activity. "Our results indicate that specific crime-drama franchises are associated with decreased rape-myth acceptance," the study states.

The authors acknowledge that causality is hard to infer: People who are more informed about rape myths and issues of consent might choose to watch Law & Order over other shows because it affirms their pre-existing beliefs. Nevertheless, they conclude that watching Law & Order might indeed have a positive effect on viewers:

Given the Law & Order producers' conscientious efforts to not glamorize rape and to portray punishment of the crime, they have essentially created a program that could be used to reduce sexual assault. In contrast, the CSI franchise frequently depicts sexual assault in ways that objectify the victim and reinforce common rape myths. This study's findings indicate that depicting sexual assault in this manner may promote behaviors that are not conducive to healthy sexual relationships. This has significant implications, given that the CSI franchise has enjoyed much greater popularity than the Law & Order franchise.

The research is by no means the first academic attempt to draw conclusions about how television influences popular understanding of sexual assault. A 2006 study conducted at the University of California, Santa Barbara found that watching a television movie featuring a character who was raped by an acquaintance "increased awareness of date rape as a social problem across all demographic groups" who were surveyed. And in 2007, research found that the acceptance of rape myths among female college students was associated with watching television generally.

In her 1999 book Rape on Prime-Time: Television, Masculinity, and Sexual Violence, the women's studies professor Lisa M. Cuklanz writes that prime-time episodic portrayals of rape on television between 1976 and 1990 offer insight into how advocacy affects television and how television affects public opinion. "By 1990," Cuklanz writes, "prime-time episodes were offering complex depictions of date/acquaintance rape and other issues more often than the highly formulaic depictions of violent stranger rape commonly found in the earlier years. Thus, this 15-year period encompasses a remarkable adaptation in television's treatment of rape."

Law & Order: SVU, the only show in the franchise still in production, certainly isn't perfect, and the way in which it shows police officers doggedly investigating sex crimes and handling victims with the utmost care and attention certainly defies the real-life experiences of many survivors. But that it offers such explicit and incontrovertible definitions of what constitutes sexual assault, the study suggests, might nevertheless make it a valuable and productive show for cultural consumers.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

Sophie Gilbert is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covers culture.

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Watching 'Law & Order: SVU' Might Be Good for Society

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The surveys found that exposure to Law & Order was associated with "lower rape-myth acceptance," greater intentions to seek consent for sexual activity, greater intentions to refuse unwanted sexual activity, and greater intentions to adhere to decisions related to sexual consent.

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"Law & Order: SVU is surprisingly healing"

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On Sept. 27, just hours after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while she was in high school, Sergeant Olivia Benson took on a case of her own during the season premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Though fictional, the plot felt familiar: Men in positions of power must present strength in any way they can, and victims need people to advocate for them.

These ideas - toxic masculinity, privilege, power - are often at the heart of SVU, Dick Wolf's long-running police procedural about the special division of the NYPD that investigates sex crimes. Lieutenant Olivia Benson is played by Mariska Hargitay, and her character is a steadfast supporter of survivors of sexual assault. Over the last two decades, Benson and the other SVU detectives have been allies, confidantes, and unflinching mentors to the hundreds of victims who walked through the police station doors. Benson is a voice for the the kind of victim that is often discredited in real life; imperfect, impaired, mentally ill, and without hard evidence. In the midst of the #MeToo movement, where allegations of sexual abuse filter into the news almost daily, SVU is a hopeful juxtaposition to reality, a fantasy of what could happen, both when the justice system works, and when someone actually believes you. That narrative can be instrumental to real survivors watching the show.

When SVU premiered in 1999, societal discourse around sexual misconduct, domestic violence, and power imbalances lacked nuance and care; public disclosures and allegations were not as rampant. SVU was a show that illuminated the complexities of these cases - and within the last year, the country began to see them play out in a tangible, woefully non-fictional way. Between the Harvey Weinstein allegations, Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction, and the recent allegations against Kavanaugh, each day's headlines feel more in line with SVU subplots instead of the other way around; the show is known for its "ripped from the headlines" storylines.

Despite the overwhelming number of sexual abuse stories recently come to light - and the increasingly blurred lines between dramatized television and reality - for some viewers, Law & Order: SVU is just as vital in 2018 as the day it first aired 20 seasons earlier, showing an optimistic view of investigators who tirelessly work to see justice done. Especially poignant now, nearly a year following start of #MeToo, the show provides solace in escapism, a place where the bad guys go down.

Before on-campus fraternity assaults and the term "gang rape" were a part of the popular vernacular, SVU served as a cultural entry point into the minutiae of sex crimes, their investigations, and court trials. Kate, a 36-year-old SVU fan who declined to share her last name, says this created the "Olivia Benson generation" - viewers who came of age watching the show, and are now adults with an understanding of and compassion for the ways trauma can manifest in survivors.

As one of the moderators of the popular Twitter account @SVU_Diehards, a curated mix of fan retweets, updates about the show and its actors, and commentary, Kate has become one of the most authoritative voices in the SVU fan community. Over time, survivors who watched the show felt comfortable disclosing to her their assaults. She's frustrated, she says, to know there aren't many avenues for survivors to speak to a trustworthy source and to feel advocated for, but Benson's role as a champion, albeit fictional, brings hope.

"I know SVU is still an escape for survivors," Kate says. "Benson is the voice of survivors who they never had, a cop they could trust. [ SVU is] a show where victims are believed and crimes are investigated. It's a fantasy of what should happen, not what is happening in the world right now."

If Benson can't advocate on behalf of victims, her real-life counterpart can. Hargitay herself has proven a champion for survivors through her Joyful Heart Foundation, which provides resources to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse. The tenacity of show's characters have bled into the actors' missions, a fact fans of the show see as proof of the show's impact.

Megan Geertson, a Dick Wolf universe fan, finds SVU more resonant than ever. As the news became focused on cases of sexual assault - from the accusations against the president, to comedian Louis C.K. - the show is a "reminder that not all law enforcement is bad and that there are people in positions of power who still want to help," the 30-year-old New Yorker says.

Power imbalances lay at the core of SVU's storylines, whether between a boss and an employee, a husband and a wife, or a trafficker and victim, and the detectives on the show aim to level the playing field. As powerful men accused of harassment are staging comebacks in real life, Benson and company create safe environments for the disenfranchised where the perpetrator can't bounce back. Instead, the show just ends; the victim forever frozen as a victor.

A central focus of this fantasy is the notion that survivors are believed - believed regardless of what they were wearing or how much they'd had to drink. Though the show does portray false accusations, the detectives carefully investigate each complaint. But in the real world, when allegations are easily dismissed by powerful figures, and such dismissals are publicized, how can viewers remain hopeful the same care would be carried out in actual assault cases?

When Sam Roberts, a survivor of sexual assault, watches the show, she feels like Olivia Benson is speaking directly to her. Roberts says she felt internalized shame and never reported the incident. SVU became a silent ally.

"As somebody who had never really spoken about it, I never had anyone tell me it's not your fault," she, says. "Having that avatar through Benson was incredibly transformative." Roberts says the show acts as a form of "wish fulfillment," contrary to the news. Kate of @SVU_Diehards mentions SVU 's effectiveness at being a justice surrogate for some victims "because they didn't [have justice] in their own lives."

Still, Kate has friends who have experienced sexual assault and had to create distance from the fictional Special Victims Unit for their own wellbeing.

"Every morning, I wake up and see what's happening in America, and every day it seems like there's a new man ... outed as being despicable," she says. "So you go to SVU to escape and see these people get justice. I've spoken to some friends, how they have to pull away from the show because of the news because it's constant."

Though SVU has provided an outlet for Roberts as recently as last season, the tenor of the news during the Kavanaugh hearing left a bitter taste in her mouth: she has no plans to watch new episodes.

"I'm not ready to go back to that escape yet because it feels so far away," Roberts says. "The fantasy that SVU sells feels further away than it has in a really long time."

Jordan Cooper, another SVU fan, sees the turbulent news cycle as providing continued opportunities for the show to educate the masses on the complicated issues dominating headlines. Cooper believes that storylines inspired by powerful men in entertainment like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein would serve audiences well, even though it draws from real people's pain. Despite the lack of closure survivors are afforded in real life, he takes solace in morality emerging victorious somewhere, even if it is an alternate universe.

"It makes you feel like someone's listening, somebody cares, somebody's listening to what's happening," he says. "Even if it's a fictional show, watching it makes me feel better."

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For Some Assault Survivors, Law & Order SVU Is Surprisingly Healing

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On Sept. 27, just hours after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while she was in high school, Sergeant Olivia Benson took on a case of her own during the season premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit .

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Created by Dick Wolf, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, often referred to as SVU, is a crime drama television series set in New York City, part of the seemingly endless stable of shows. Typical episodes followed a group of detectives and their colleagues as they investigated and prosecuted sexually based offenses. Since the cancellation of the original Law & Order in 2010, SVU has since become the longest running scripted non-animated U.S. primetime TV series.

SVU has been nominated for and won numerous awards, including a 2006 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Mariska Hargitay, which is the first and only Emmy ever won by a series regular on any Law & Order series.

The series was renewed for an 18th season which premiered in September 2016 on NBC.

Here are a few facts about SVU that you might now have known.

Dun dun.

29. The end of an era

Christopher Meloni, played detective Stabler, was a staple on SVU since the show's premiere in 1999. After more than 200 episodes Chris and NBC could not come to an agreement on a new contract and he left the series after the action packed season 12 finale.

28. Entitled

The show was originally called Sex Crimes but NBC thought the title was a bit off-putting and Dick Wolf wanted it to be part of the Law & Order universe.

27. They're Special

In 2016, a New York Times study found that, based on Facebook likes, SVU 's popularity was slightly higher in rural areas, but largely restricted to the eastern half of the country and was, in fact, the most popular in Albany, NY,

26. In the House

Steve Zirnkilton, the actor behind the voiceover in the opening credits ("in the criminal justice system...") has actually served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives which makes him one of the few Congressmen who actually understands the criminal justice system.

25. Bounceback

Raul Esparza initially didn't want to take the role of ADA Rafael Barba but did so as an acting "rebound" from a lackluster Broadway production. Nothing like a bad Broadway production to lower your standards enough to do a hit TV show.

24. Character Development

Each episode of Season 13 had 13 letters in the title. Season 14 had 14 letters. Season 15 has 15. And on through to Season 17. In Season 18, they realized that nobody really noticed and they gave up on being clever.

23. Celebrity Tapes

Celebrities who have made guest appearances on the show include Robin Williams, Hilary Duff, Hayden Pannetierre, Amanda Seyfried, Rooney Mara, Bradley Cooper, Martin Short, and Elizabeth Banks. They all played themselves. Celebrities are freaky.

22. Not Quite Fin-ished

Ice-T was only supposed to play the part of Fin for four episodes, but he liked it so much that he decided to keep hanging around. Apparently, it's more fun to play a cop than to rap about them.

21. From O.G. to G.O.

In the African Yoruba language, Fin's last name "Tutuola" means "The Gentle One." Because when you look at Ice-T, you definitely think, "Gosh, that man looks gentle."

20. Mother May I?

Mariska Hargitay keeps a picture of her actual mother on her character's desk. If you're investigating violent sex crimes, it's always nice to think of home.

19. SVU? I Do!

Hargitay met her husband on the SVU set when he guest-starred as defense attorney Trevor Langan so now she's a special victim of marriage.

18. State of Mind

Although the show is set in New York, for the first eleven seasons, it was actually shot in New Jersey. Bur, really, sex crimes don't understand state lines.

17. Back to the Beginning

The show is now being shot at the studio that was formerly used by the main Law & Order franchise.

16. The Terrorists Keep Winning

After the events of 9/11, like almost every other show that came out at the time, NBC ordered the opening credits re-edited to remove images of the Twin Towers.

15. The Munchies

Richard Belzer has played the character of Detective John Munch on Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, The X-Files, The Beat, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Arrested Development, and The Wire. This is a record for the most different shows a single character played by the same actor has been on. John Munch would serve as the anchor for the most intense crossover episode of Law & Order ever.

14. From Lenny to Kenny

Former regular Chris Orbach, who played Ken Briscoe, is the son of Jerry Orbach, who played Lennie Briscoe on the original Law & Order. Ken Briscoe is Lennie Briscoe's nephew.

13. The Cat's still in the Bag

An episode of SVU that was "ripped from the headlines" dealt with a totally-not-Trump-but-like-it's-definitely-Trump inspired character whose political campaign goes awry after several women come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. The episode was set to air in late 2016 but was delayed several times before the election, and after Trump won, was taken off the schedule entirely. Dick Wolf "suspects" that it will air in the spring of 2017.

12. I Knew You Were Trouble

Taylor Swift is such a huge fan of the show that she named her cat Olivia Benson.

11. Stunted

Mariska Hargitay used to insist on doing her own stunts until one of them left her with a partially collapsed lung. She doesn't insist so much anymore.

10. Yes, and!

Kathy Griffin was Mariska Hargitay's improv teacher at the Groundlings theater company in Los Angeles. Griffin later guest starred on an episode.

9. His Own Worst Enemy

Christopher Meloni, who played an NYPD detective on SVU, also simultaneously played inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz. "It wasn't easy," he said. "For about two or three years, I would wake up at 4:30, get in the van at 6, drive to Oz, kill people 'til about noon, jump in the car, go to SVU, and go arrest people who murder people 'til about two a.m."

8. Cleaning Up

Peter Scanavino made his SVU debut as Johnny Dubcek, a janitor. Two seasons later, he became a cast regular as Dominick Carisi, a junior detective. Clearly it was the name that was holding him back.

7. Earned a seat

In fact, Scanavino guest starred on four of the five Law & Order series before finally landing his role as a series regular.

6. Playing Both Sides

Similarly, series regular Diane Neal, who played Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak, made her SVU debut two seasons earlier as a woman accused of raping a male stripper.

5. Proud Parents

SVU is the only prime-time drama to have been spun off from two different shows: Law & Order and through the character of John Munch from Homicide: Life on the Street.

4. Leight It Up

Warren Leight, writer and executive producer on SVU for four seasons, said that while the show tackled some big topics, they got the most pushback from the Catholic Church and the NFL, two organizations who are both fighting over who dominate Sundays.

3. Well Deserved

Cast members are often approached by survivors of sexual abuse, thanking them for accurately portraying these stories on TV and helping to raise awareness.

2. Fake News

SVU episodes are touted as being "ripped from the headlines" which actually means that the stories are "inspired" by recent headlines and not based on actual real events. Y'know, the way "Ice Ice Baby" was "inspired" by "Under Pressure."

1. Basic Training

Mariska Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson, was so moved by letters from assault victims that she became a trained rape crisis counsellor in real life.

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28 Investigative Facts about "Law & Order: SVU"

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Christopher Meloni, played detective Stabler, was a staple on SVU since the show's premiere in 1999. After more than 200 episodes Chris and NBC could not come to an agreement on a new contract and he left the series after the action packed season 12 finale.

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As the show kicks off its 20th season amid the #MeToo movement, a look at its impact on the cultural conversation around sex crimes

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"Benson is facing her own mortality" in Season 20

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'Law & Order: SVU' boss says Benson is 'facing her own mortality' in season 20

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'She's been working very hard for 20 years, and she doesn't run as fast as she used to,' showrunner Michael Chernuchin warns

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Watching television dramas does not make us think that crime is more common than it actually is, a new study from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania suggests. But rising violence on television appears to have some relationship to how intense our fear of crime is, even if we do not overstate our chances of being victims.

It is a finding that nods to the power of such shows to create intense emotional bonds between viewers and on-screen characters. The study's authors, Patrick Jamieson and Daniel Romer, emphasize that their research is meant to inspire more work on what television actually does to our brains, rather than to end the conversation.

At the heart of the paper is a idea that influences a great deal of cultural criticism: cultivation theory. Originated by a professor named George Gerbner, the theory holds that "television (TV), as the dominant cultural medium, cultivated a social reality that was often at odds with objective reality." Gerbner in particular thought that television might make viewers think that crime occurs more frequently than it really does and would drive wedges between them and their neighbors, even opening the way for more authoritarian governance.

Jamieson and Romer point out that Gerbner's research has come under criticism from any number of angles. Some television programming might have more of an impact than others. Demographics of the population already predisposed to overestimate the amount of crime in the world might seek out more crime-oriented television. And adjusting for actual crime rates in viewers' areas might weaken the association between television and perception.

To try to figure out what was going on, Jamieson and Romer decided to figure out how many crimes were depicted on the top 30 network dramas that aired between 1972 and 2010. They compared fluctuations in those numbers with fluctuations in the responses to Gallup's question, asked during the same period, "Is there anywhere near where you live that is, within a mile, where you would be afraid to walk alone at night?"

Their conclusions? While the data are not strong enough to suggest that watching television dramas causes more intense fear of crime, fear of crime and violence on television do appear to trend together.

"TV audiences may be transported into a fictive world in which the effects of portrayed violence are experienced emotionally by the audience but do not lead to changes in the perceived prevalence of crime," Jamieson and Romer wrote. "We find it noteworthy that both TV violence and fear of crime have changed in tandem over time in recent years even though the actual violent crime rate has declined over this period."

So what is going on here? Television has always been a responsive medium, with a development cycle that means it catches up to our fears and loves a year or two after they manifest on broad scale. Sometimes, of course, networks get lucky: Fox's "24" was in production before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and became a smash hit as the United States grappled with new anxieties about terrorism.

It is an intriguing question whether an upswing in terrorism-themed shows might be provoking particularly intense anxieties about crimes. Romer told me that the study's authors included terrorism-related acts of violence in their counts but did not distinguish them from other crimes.

There are other sorts of data that might be useful, too. The Gallup data that the researchers used as a measure of fear of crime do not look at anxieties about particular sorts of offenses, particularly sex crimes, which are the focus of shows such as "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

"Women report more fear of crime on surveys and the source of the discrepancy is not clear," Romer wrote in an e-mail. "Men are more likely to be victims of murder but women are more likely to be victims in domestic disputes and of course in rapes. So, these sorts of situations may loom larger in women's minds. Gerbner argued that movies and TV tend to show women as victims more than men, and this may also play a role."

And finally, the rise of cable television may be playing a role in how Americans feel about crime. These series, which have license to depict much more graphic violence than their broadcast network counterparts, have become increasingly popular. But they are also often hyper-stylized and set in environments very different from our own, be it a zombie apocalypse or a fictionalized medieval kingdom.

"We are also exploring what happens to viewers as they are exposed to more and more of this kind of programming," Romer said. "It may be that we are getting desensitized to it and less likely to be shocked by it."

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Is TV making us more afraid of crime? Or burning us out on violence?

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Watching television dramas does not make us think that crime is more common than it actually is, a new study from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania suggests.