Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Picture: NBC
We were recently asked whether Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was on Netflix anywhere around the world and sadly, the answer to that continues to be no despite the show having streamed on Netflix in the US just a few short years ago. Here’s an updated streaming guide for Law & Order: SVU for 2021 and beyond.
Returning for its 23rd season on September 23rd, the drama series comes from Dick Wolf that follows the fictionalized version of the NYPD. The series has seen multiple spin-offs including:
- Organized Crime
- Criminal Intent
- Trial by Jury
- LA
- True Crime
- Hate Crimes
What happened to Law & Order: SVU on Netflix in the United States?
Netflix in the US used to have the show available but not every season. In fact, Netflix only ever had at most 5 seasons but older seasons departed as rights expired.
Season 18 of Law & Order: SVU was the last season of the show to come to Netflix. That’s before the show began leaving Netflix throughout 2018. The series departed in full from Netflix in March 2018.
Netflix Canada also had Law & Order: SVU for a period of time. It first appeared on Netflix Canada back in March 2016 and saw a new season added later that year. In 2017 things started to go the other direction with a season removed before the entirety of the show was removed in early 2018 and has not been back since.
Why did it leave? For the same reasons that we’ve seen a number of shows from the big networks depart Netflix which is to help their own streaming services.
In this case, that’s favoring Hulu and nowadays, Peacock where 23 and 22 seasons are streaming respectively.
With all that said, unlike many other networks shows, the idea that Law & Order coming back in the future is not completely out of the window. The reason we say this is because Chicago Med was added to Netflix in the United States in 2021. This rare license of an NBC show (and a Dick Wolf show no less) could indicate that more could follow suit in the future despite NBC’s parent company putting most of its focus on Peacock.
Is any other Netflix region streaming Law & Order: Special Victims Unit?
Nope. No other Netflix region streams Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Where Sky operates around the world you’ll find the show available there.
In the UK, for example, you’re only able to watch Law & Order: SVU on NOW.
Bizarrely, Netflix Belgium does stream the show but only a single season, season 17.
So in conclusion, Netflix is not the home of Law & Order: SVU as it hasn’t been for many years.
Would you like to see Law & Order: SVU return to Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.