“Ripped from Headlines” Isn’t Quite What You Think
Like its predecessor, SVU is known for “ripping” storylines from headlines. The Catholic Church even suggested a plot redirect when they learned some of the episodes were covering abuse within the organization. However, “ripped from headlines” really means “inspired by headlines,” in that the writers will run with a real-world idea and fictionalize it. This still gets them in trouble, like with an episode concerning sexual assault accusations made against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. When Trump was elected into office, the episode was scrapped from the docket entirely before it could be put into syndication.
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