Like some other lesbians, I didn't watch the tenth season premiere of Law and Order: SVU just to see Sara Gilbert play a mother who gave her child away to a fellow rape victim. I've been a fan of the series for the past couple of years, coming in late but having since caught up via USA weekend marathons.

One of the reasons I'm a fan, of course, is because of Mariska Hargitay.

You can have your vampire slayers and Terminator-types: Detective Olivia Benson is my favorite fighter of evil. She's a gun-toting tough woman that puts pedophiles and sex offenders behind bars.

So it was somewhat unpleasant to see Benson shook up like she was during last night's episode.

At the end of season nine, Detective Benson went undercover in a women's prison where she successfully caught prison guards who were sexually assaulting the prisoners. Unfortunately, she came too close to becoming a rape victim herself, and was unable to escape the assault when a guard put his business in her face. … continue reading

While the fate of several of my favorite "young" television shows hangs in the balance, I revel in the fact that some of my other favorites are still going strong. Case in point: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit will air its 200th episode tonight.

Photo credit: NBC/Mitchell Haaseth

SVU will become just the third current network prime-time drama to reach the century mark twice, joining the original Law & Order and ER in that category.

Though I tend to celebrate birthdays and landmarks with behavior unfit for print, the bigwigs at NBC ring in this Very Special Episode with an A-list guest star: Robin Williams. "Authority" will feature a ripped from the headlines story in which Williams plays an engineer named Merritt Rook who scams a restaurant manager (Scott Adsit, 30 Rock).

When asked about working with the Oscar-winner, SVU star Mariska Hargitay told TV Guide: "I think about some of the guest stars we've had, and it really is a milestone working with such a genius. It makes me so proud that he wanted to do our show. Look how far we've come!"

In addition to current (Hargitay, Diane Neal) and past (Tamara Tunie, Stephanie March, Michelle Hurd and Judith Light) series regulars, the show has a knack for attracting exquisite female guest stars. While fellow AfterEllen.com blogger Ace may disagree with me, I love seeing the fresh faces each week. … continue reading