On what date did the SVU season 1 finale air?

The Law & Order: SVU season 1 finale aired on May 19, 2000.

The first season premiered on September 20, 1999, and its 22-episode run ended nearly eight months later. Season 1 originally aired on NBC, beginning on Monday nights before moving to Friday nights at 10 p.m. Eastern after the ninth episode. The finale date therefore falls at the end of the 1999–2000 U.S. television season.

Season 1 helped establish the show’s foundational cast, including Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, Richard Belzer as John Munch, Dann Florek as Donald Cragen, and Michelle Hurd as Monique Jeffries. Ice-T had not yet joined the series; he entered the cast in season 2.

The date can be confused with the finale dates of later seasons, especially because SVU has continued for decades and its season lengths and broadcast schedules have changed. For the inaugural season, May 19, 2000 is the canonical U.S. finale date.