“Law & Order: SVU” Season 15 Episode 3, “American Tragedy,” airs on NBC, where Paula Deen, the Trayvon Martin trial and the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk practices receive a mashup treatment.
In this week’s episode, a series of rapes on the Upper West side leaves the city on edge, and a celebrity chef thinks she is the next victim when someone follows her home. Cybill Shepherd plays celebrity Southern chef Jolene Castille, who finds herself on a deserted street in New York. Fearing that she’s being pursued and in danger of being raped, Castille shoots an unarmed teenager wearing a hoodie. Jeffrey Tambor plays her attorney, while Leslie Odom, Jr. (Smash) guest stars as a minister. It’s hard not to recognize the real-life racial issues being re-created and addressed, but it should be interesting to see how these events will be depicted.
Here’s NBC’s description of the show:
“This hard-hitting and emotional series from NBC’s “Law & Order” brand chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department, the elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes. Dedicated Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), a seasoned veteran of the unit who has seen it all, heads up the department with empathy and professionalism, all the while dealing with her difficult past – as a product of rape and a witness to her mother’s grief, she can personally relate to each victim she tries to help.”
“Law & Order: SVU” Episode 3, “American Tragedy,” airs Wednesday, October 2, on NBC at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Check out the sneak preview and photos below.
