The three-letter alternate title listed for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is SVU. It is formed from the initials of “Special Victims Unit,” the specialized police division at the center of the series.
The full title distinguishes the show from the original Law & Order and the franchise’s other spin-offs. In everyday usage, however, viewers, networks, critics, and the cast frequently shorten it to Law & Order: SVU or simply SVU. The abbreviation is now often more recognizable than the full title.
The series follows detectives and prosecutors handling sex-based offenses involving victims who require specialized investigative attention. That focus is why “Special Victims Unit,” rather than a character’s name or a location, appears in the title.
SVU is sometimes confused with other abbreviations connected to the franchise, such as L&O, which can refer broadly to Law & Order, or OCU, which is not the listed alternate title for this series. The show premiered on NBC in 1999 and became the first Law & Order spin-off.