The entire Law & Order franchise is full of cases that feel pulled from real life, and the Law & Order: SVU episodes based on real-life crimes carry more of an impact on audiences. Originally released in 1999 as a spin-off to Law & Order, SVU is now the longest-running show in the franchise exploring cases of the Special Victim’s Unit that investigates crimes involving sexual assault. As a result, the Law & Order: SVU cases based on real-life events make for some of the most chilling in both the show and the wider Law & Order franchise.