1. Causa Mortis In her first appearance, McCoy's new second chair ADA Jamie Ross, is determined to throw the book at a carjacker who took the life of a teacher as she pleaded for her life on an audio tape discovered at the crime scene. Based on the murder of Kathleen Weinstein, a New Jersey school teacher.
2. ID The
police are struggling to identify a dead body found in a lift. Ross
makes stand in court against sexual harassment, which turns out to
hamper the prosecution of the suspect. 3. Good Girl Detectives Briscoe and Curtis have to break the mutual alibi of two girlfriends, played by special guests Taye Diggs (Go, Ally McBeal) and Jennifer Esposito (Spin City, Samantha Who?) They need to identify the killer of a young black man, while his parents put pressure on the D.A. to indict a young woman who claims he had raped her.
4. Survivor While investigating the murder of a rare coin dealer Briscoe and Curtis end up with a millionaire as a suspect. A.D.A. Ross must investigate further as she tries to establish the provenance of the missing coin collection. With special guest Karen Allen (Indiana Jones Raiders of The Lost Ark, The Perfect Storm.)
5. Corruption Rey Curtis uncovers evidence of police corruption on a large scale when an an old colleague of Briscoe's gets on his wrong side. His findings put the DA's office in competition with an ambitious judge, while detective Briscoe finds himself under investigation for stealing evidence from a police lockup. This episode is based on thefts of heroin that occured from 67 to 72 at the New York City Police Department Property Clerk's office. 6. Double Blind A janitor is murdered in a university laboratory building. The crime leads the police to discover a drug study that may have prompted the crime. 7. Deadbeat A good-for-nothing father, whose son is dying of leukemia, gets murdered. McCoy and Ross have to deal with a sympathetic suspect and a moral dilemma. Based on the Jeffrey Nichols case, and featuring special guest Tamara Tunie (who was to return to the L&O franchise later as SVU's Medical Examiner, Dr Melinda Warner.)
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8. Family Business The chief financial officer of a family-owned department store goes from the sitting room to the bedroom and into the board room as suspicion shifts from co-workers to family members. 9. Entrapment Based on the Qubilah Shabazz case, Huey Tate is a young man accused of shooting the well-known leader of the African-American Congress. The investigation comes undone when the D.A.'s office learn that their chief witness was once an informant for the FBI, and is still under their protection. Features special guest Michelle Hurd (E.R., Leap Years) who later came back to L&O as SVU detective Monique Jefferies. 10. Legacy A young husband gets shot in the street. The investigation uncovers his wife's first husband died in an accident that was not properly looked into, and that they may have been having an affair before it happened. 11. Menace A girl's apparent suicide proves difficult to investigate as witnesses are not readily coming forward, while A.D.A. Ross tries to indict a known bully whom she believe is the one really responsible for her actions. This episode was based on the Deletha Word case. 12. Barter An unpromising case of murder suddenly develops new leads when the police start to investigate a possible mistaken identity angle.
Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy tries to
make a case against a lender who uses unscrupulous methods to collect
the money owed to him, using an ethically challenged method.
13. Matrimony The Anna Nicole Smith Inheritance case inspired this episode, in which the discovery of a would-be thief refocuses a murder investigation. The D.A.'s office is left with the task of making a conspiracy case against the deceased's attorney and the young widow.
14. Working Mom Featuring Desperate Housewives' Felicity Huffman, this episode deals with the murder of an ex-cop who had a penchant for blackmail and illicit sex. The investigation leads Briscoe and Curtis to a pair of suburban moms who work as prostitutes. 15. D-Girl (1) The first of a three-parter, D-Girl features special guest stars Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls, Parenthood) and Janeane Garofalo (The West Wing, Mystery Men, 24.) When a dead body minus its head is found, Briscoe and Curtis are sent out to L.A. to obtain a blood sample from their main suspect, while McCoy and Ross try to obtain a court order for the procedure.  16. Turnaround (2) Back in NYC, Briscoe and Curtis discover that another man was in the area at the right time on the night of the murder. This new suspect could have a motive for the crime. McCoy and Ross have to fly to L.A. to defend their warrant, challenged by the opposing counsel, Ross's former husband Neal Gorton.
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17. Showtime (3) The trial of Hollywood director Eddie Newman (played by Scott Cohen, of NYPD Blue and L&O Trial By Jury) begins but the prosecution's chances of
conviction are hampered by the high calibre of opposing counsels,
Gorton's personal pressures on Ross, and a surprise accusation of
sexual harassment. 18. Mad Dog A serial rapist recently granted parole against McCoy's wishes is a suspect in a new rape and murder. The police can't get enough evidence to charge him, so Jack pushes Curtis and Briscoe dangerously close to harassment. Based on the Megan Nicole Kanka case this episode starred Burt Young (Paulie in the Rocky films.)
19. Double Down The D.A. office make a deal with a suspected cop killer in order to find a
kidnapping victim. After the victim is found dead, however, they try to cancel the immunity offer and detectives suspect that accused knew the
victim was dead all along. This episode features two former regulars from The Sopranos, Edie Falco and John Fiore. 20. We Like Mike A good samaritan who claims to have helped a murdered young man change a
flat tire is first the cops' primary suspect, then the prosecutors'
chief witness as Jack asks him to testify against the real killer. With John Doman (The Wire.) 21. Passion Briscoe and Curtis investigate the death of a pretty young book editor who was having an affair with one of her authors, and find themselves focusing on the author's partner, who denies there was anything wrong with their relationship.
22. Past Imperfect When the cops find a relative's bloodstain at the scene of a former model's, they uncover a connection to the daughter she gave up for adoption, and a possible multi-million dollar inheritance claim. 23. Terminal A man opens fire during the docking of a dinner cruise boat. As D.A. Adam Schiff refuses to seek the death penalty, the Governor appoints a special prosecutor. McCoy helps Schiff appeal while Ross helps the special prosecutor at trial. Adam Schiff's wife is rushed to hospital following a severe stroke. Based on the Ángel Nieves Díaz case, and inspired by the shooting of NYPD Police officer Kevin Gillespie and Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson's decision to seek the death penalty against his killers.
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