The Law & Order: SVU Episode That Was Never Released

Ever since it first began airing in 1999, "Law & Order: SVU" has not been afraid to steer directly into the cultural conversation. If you watch an episode of "Law & Order: SVU" and think, "This all feels pretty familiar," it's with good reason. "Law & Order: SVU" pulls its plotlines directly from the headlines, emulating some of the biggest stories happening in the real world, albeit with their own twists and turns (via Flavorwire).

And while "Law & Order: SVU" has a core cast of detectives, lawyers, judges, and anyone else you might find in and around a courtroom, the show is heavily episodic; each episode typically finds the detectives and lawyers attempting to find a different perpetrator and then hold them accountable for their crimes. Because there's always a new crime to solve, there's always room for a new guest star.

It feels like pretty much everyone has guest starred on "Law & Order: SVU" at some point. In some cases, it comes before the actor hits it big, and others when they're a household name.

When the cast of "Law & Order: SVU" was asked who they'd want to see guest star on the show, Ice-T responded, "Brad Pitt is my favorite actor. I would just want him just so I could fanboy out and hang out with him and talk 'Fight Club' with him" (via Us Weekly).

Any aspiring actor will tell you that even if you book a part on a show, odds are still good your scene might get left on the cutting room floor. Such became the case with just one episode in "Law & Order: SVU's" 20+, 500-episode year history (via E! Online).

Back in 2016, there was one headline dominating all the others: Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential race. During this time, a number of women came forward accusing Trump of rape and sexual assault, so it makes sense that "Law & Order: SVU" would seek to fictionalize this sensational story (via Business Insider). The SVU-niverse version of the story finds "Veep" star Gary Cole as a presidential hopeful accused of raping an underage girl (via TVLine). The episode — dubbed "Unstoppable" — was initially pushed because of concerns over its content, then pushed once again because, per TVLine, NBC allegedly didn't want to take sides in the controversy. Following that, the episode was slated to air after Trump's inauguration, then bumped again for the World Series. It now appears to be shelved indefinitely.

Now that Trump is no longer in office, it seems like the perfect time for "Law & Order: SVU" to finally tackle the taboo topic. Maybe Brad Pitt can even reprise his "Saturday Night Live" role as Dr. Anthony Fauci (via Time).