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nabs its 300th episode 'Law & Order: SVU' By Jacqueline Cutler © Zap2it that was "Law & Order," one show remains: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." And this alone proves In the cottage industry procedural shows can shine. Stories make sense, writing is tight, and actors are sharp. The result is a gritty drama celebrating its 300th episode Wednesday, Oct. 24. Though the show shoots all over New York, its home base is a cavernous studio on a Hudson River pier. Here, actors, directors and producers speak with Zap2it while shooting the milestone episode. This plot, as expected, ing to Ice-T, Kelli Giddish and Belzer roam these rooms, and the thwack of a speedball echoes. Belzer, who plays the conspiracy- minded Munch, shows off his boxing moves. It is a good thing his character is armed. Belzer talks about how grateful he is for this role. "Everywhere in the world I go, I get recognized," he says. He's been stopped in Istanbul, Paris and Vienna. This series continues to sounds and a Cragen pull- my-finger doll. Florek can't watch an episode when it first airs. "They're always too fresh for me," he says. "Normally all I see is what I think was missing. When I get to half a year later, on USA (Net- work), I have emotional distance." Just as Florek was on work, Belzer says, because "every script is new. Every story is a case. That's the genius. Every week there is a formula, but the writ- ing is so good it never gets boring" That formula was used deals with an excruciating topic — kidnapping. As a dad bends down to retrieve a $20 bill on a subway plat- form, a stranger snatches his 7-year-old son and jumps onto a departing train. The cops are off and running, stopping at noth- ing until they find the perps. Three actors have starred on the show since the 1999 premiere: Mariska Hargitay, Richard Belzer and Dann Florek as Detec- tives Olivia Benson and John Munch and Capt. Donald Cragen. They have grown close over 14 years, but in between scenes, they retreat to their own dress- ing rooms. Dogs belong- in the 1990 pilot for "Law & Order," which Florek was in. from the first show: "Come on, fellows, I need some- thing. I'm getting my butt barbecued." He picked this over another role because "it was like nothing else." Florek infuses Cragen He recalls his first line in eighth grade, all of her friends were obsessed with 'SVU,' " he says. "I went to the movies as a kid to learn about life. What are their adults up to? Why are they behaving in this fashion?" It's a question the actors "When my daughter was the first "SVU" episode, so were four actors being brought back by showrun- ner Warren Leight for the 300th: Chris Orbach, son of the late, great Jerry Or- bach (Detective Briscoe on "Law & Order"); Ramsey Faragallah, Mili Avital and Gordana Rashovich. Leight, quick to note that he has done only 28 episodes and was "hardly taking a victory lap," de- scribes "SVU" as "the Jeep Cherokee of NBC. We just keep going, and we outlast them all." Another bonus in the with a sense of decency. This season began as the cliffhanger ended, with Cragen implicated in a murder and cover-up involving city officials and prostitutes. During the course of the season, Cra- gen rebuilds his reputation. "That's what becomes the rest of my journey," Florek says in his dressing room, which has a gad- get that makes flatulence grapple with as they learn to leave the hideous sub- ject matter at work. "My coping mechanism is to be able to go home and talk about kindergar- ten," says Danny Pino, who plays Detective Nick Amaro. In his dressing room, weights, a jump rope and Yankees memorabilia share space with photos of his sons. "In a way, it just ties you closer to the job; it makes it more visceral and personal. We have all spent time with actual SVU detectives." Giddish, who, like Pino, 300th will be using footage from the first year, when de- tectives refer to an old and similar case. Leight consid- ers the technological strides made since the premiere. "We survived the transition to talkies," he says. Jean de Segonzac, di- rector of the first and the 300th episodes, has dealt with all of them. Surround- ed by real maps annotating New York police precincts, de Segonzac considers why a show that plumbs the seedy underbelly of humanity can thrive. started last year, is more relaxed now that her char- acter of Detective Amanda Rollins is established. She stopped having nightmares related to the show. "It is a pleasure to be part of this show that has affected as many people as this has," she says. "SVU" touches such a raw nerve, especially among those who have been raped, that women write to Hargitay. Her re- sponse was to establish the Joyful Heart Founda- tion, a nonprofit agency to help heal the sexually abused. Catch the Craze & Save! Save on Rentals • Breakfast Get Free Glass Cleaner Save on a Quilt Find these great savings plus more on Coupon Craze! In The Goshen News every Monday, Online everyday! Nobody covers your hometown better 114 S. Main St., Goshen 574-533-2151 www.goshennews.com Employment Ad Today! Place Your Over 3,500 resumes are posted on monster.com in The Goshen News readership areas. 574-533-2151 ext. 398 goshennews.com / EVERY MONDAY IN FIND A VARIETY OF GREAT RECIPES Ice-T, Danny Pino and Richard Belzer (from left) star in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," which airs its 300th episode Wednesday on NBC. 2 The Goshen News • Viewer's Choice • Monday, Oct. 22-Sunday, Oct. 28 PLUS GROCERY STORE ADVERTISEMENTS

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