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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S05E21, CriminalS05E21

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit · Season 5

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 5 episode 21: Criminal

Aired 20 April 200443 minRated TV-14

8.3TMDB · 9 votesMark watched

Where to watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 5 in Australia

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 5 is streaming in Australia on Prime Video (subscription) and Disney+ (subscription, listed for the whole show). You can also buy it on Apple TV from $17.99 and Prime Video Store from $19.99.

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Availability checked 16 November 2026.

What happens in “Criminal”

When it becomes obvious that a forensics expert raped and murdered a student, the investigation focuses on a criminology professor Cragen arrested decades earlier for similar crimes, but is the professor a perpetrator or a victim?

Episode summary: TMDB.

Before you watch

  • It is episode 21 of 25 of season 5, so watch episodes 1 to 20 first.
  • It runs about 43 minutes.
  • Directed by Alex Zakrzewski, written by Jose Molina.
  • TMDB users rate it 8.3 out of 10 (9 votes).

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit trailer

The official trailer for the series (no preview of this episode has been published).

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit trailerPlay video: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit trailer

Cast and crew of this episode

Director
Alex Zakrzewski
Writer
Jose Molina
Guest stars
Diane Neal as Casey NovakTamara Tunie as Melinda WarnerZoe Saldaña as Gabrielle VegaDoug E. Doug as Rudy LemckeJames McDaniel as Javier VegaJoanna Rhinehart as Kianna LemckeJohn C. Vennema as Dean Ian BuschJoey Diaz as Elijah Coney

Credits: TMDB.

More from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 5

Previous · S05E20Lowdown6 April 2004
S05E22Next · S05E22Painless27 April 2004
  1. E01
  2. E02
  3. E03
  4. E04
  5. E05
  6. E06
  7. E07
  8. E08
  9. E09
  10. E10
  11. E11
  12. E12
  13. E13
  14. E14
  15. E15
  16. E16
  17. E17
  18. E18
  19. E19
  20. E20
  21. E21
  22. E22
  23. E23
  24. E24
  25. E25

Every episode of Season 5Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode guide

Episode names, air dates, runtimes, stills and ratings: TMDB. Air dates are the first broadcast anywhere; where it streams is our daily Australian check.