Law and Order: Special Victims Unit presents a large main cast of characters. Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson, under the management of Captain Donald Cragen, help take down some of New York City's most unfeeling criminals.
Each character has a distinct personality in Law and Order: SVU and some are summed up in their quotes on the show. Some personalities in the series are cold and unfeeling. Others are kinder and more approachable. The characters present their likability in their attitudes and the way they respond to conflict.
Casey Novak
Casey Novak is the Assistant District Attorney who replaces Alexandra Cabot during Law and Order: SVU's 5th season. Novak is good at her job, and some fans consider her the second-best ADA in Law and Order: SVU. However, she isn't the most likable character.
Novak has a one-track mind. This makes her good at her job, but less compassionate than some of her peers. When crimes develop into complicated situations, she stands by the law with no exceptions. In her unfeeling adherence to protocol, sometimes innocent people get hurt.
Monique Jeffries
Jeffries is one of the least developed main characters, and only appears in the first two seasons of Law and Order: SVU. However, she showcases her likability during her time on the series. She becomes reckless after having a brush with disaster during an investigation.
Although Jeffries is shown acting sympathetically early on in the series, she becomes unpredictable when her arc develops. Her risky actions highlight her selfishness. Her self-serving behavior gets her kicked off her unit after she sleeps with a suspect from a case.
Alexandra Cabot
Cabot comes to Law and Order: SVU in its second season. She works with the team to help prosecute perps. She generally follows the rules but leans heavily on her own interpretation of the law. She cares about victims, and her compassion makes her likable.
However, her selfish desire to punish those she feels are responsible, sometimes bending the law to do so, makes her appear self-important and pig-headed at times. Her stubborn arrogance results in disaster when she is forced to enter the Witness Protection Program after ignoring warnings about pursuing a case.
Elliot Stabler
Detective Stabler is one of the most developed characters in Law and Order: SVU. He is passionate about his job. He is very emotional and empathetic, often putting himself in the shoes of victims, especially when the family is involved. He continually presents his love for his wife and kids.
However, Stabler is stubborn. He lashes out due to his short temper, which sometimes leads him to blame innocent suspects for crimes they didn't commit. Furthermore, he claims to have incredible care for his family, but he spends little time with them thanks to his career. His home life suffers as a result of his stubborn behavior.
John Munch
Munch is one of the funnier main characters in the series. He is known for making snarky comments and sarcastic remarks with his co-workers and with suspects he questions. However, he showcases some unlikable qualities as well.
Munch isn't much of a positive person. He often appears with a grumpy attitude. He doesn't treat those he questions with respect. He's condescending and often talks down to others. He sometimes lashes out in anger. He isn't the first character to come to mind when fans think of an affable main character in Law and Order: SVU.
Olivia Benson
Detective Benson has changed since season 1 of Law and Order: SVU. However, her likability has remained consistent. Fans who watch the series know Benson is almost always a staunch advocate for victims, and often sees crimes through their perspective when her colleagues are preoccupied.
Benson is compassionate and looks out for the best interest of victims involved in crimes. Sometimes, the criminals she prosecutes are victims themselves. Benson shows her kindness when she puts her role as a police officer aside in situations that fall into a grey area, where victims are unfairly treated.
Odafin "Fin" Tutuola
Fin is one of the smarter main characters in Law and Order: SVU. He often sees things his colleagues can't during investigations. Fin is funny and presents several memorable quotes throughout his time in the series.
Fin is tough on perps but proves to be affable to his co-workers. He has a unique perspective on criminals, having a past on the other side of the law, and condescends to them less than his colleagues during interrogations. He is loyal and true to his word.
Donald Cragen
Captain Cragen is the leader of the Special Victims Unit. He separates his emotions from the harrowing business of his job. He strives to put forth the best police work possible and does his best to make sure his underlings are operating in tow.
Cragen presents several likable qualities. Although he is stern, he treats his co-workers with respect. Furthermore, when Benson or Stabler deal with a personal problem, he appears compassionate and tries to help them in conversations in his office.
George Huang
Huang is the Special Victims Unit forensic psychiatrist and criminal profiler. He is exceptionally smart and presents a rock-solid control of his emotions. He has several likable qualities that seem tied to his profession. Huang might be the most compassionate main character in the series.
He has a keen understanding of humanity and seems sympathetic to even the most difficult suspects. He is kind to nearly everyone he interacts with and shows a genuine desire to understand the people around him, even suspects accused of heinous crimes. Huang can be funny and is often seen smiling with a pleasant attitude.
Melinda Warner
As a result of Warner's profession, she rarely puts herself in a position that showcases her negative qualities. She is the team's medical examiner, and functions to find clues to crimes through autopsies, DNA analysis, and other clues found on victims and in crime scenes.
She is frank with detectives, but not unfeeling. She is smart and talented at her job. She is friendly to detectives when they ask for her help. Furthermore, she doesn't deal with suspects and thus isn't seen berating possibly innocent suspects. She is calm and is rarely shown losing her temper.