‘Law & Order’ season 16, episode 3 review: ‘Producer’s Backend’ looks at young Hollywood

“Law & Order: SVU” is a show that always takes chances, and when you do something like that, you are going to have episodes that hit more than others.

For example, we appreciated last week’s “American Disgrace” mostly because it forced the SVU to do more detective work, and to uncover the real truth behind a group of women accusing a star athlete of rape. It also touched on the aftermath, including that this man’s life would never be the same, regardless of whether or not the accusations were true.

The tricky part about “Producer’s Backend” tonight was that when it comes to a twisted case, there really was one. It was clear from the get-go that a particular Hollywood producer was a particularly horrendous person, who would use the system to get teenagers and then lure them to do sexual favors in return for giving them parts in movies. “He was going to make me a star” was a line that we heard here time and time again.

Was this an emotional episode? Definitely, mostly because it was heartbreaking to hear so many of these stories play out here time and time again, especially when it comes to the lead character of Tensley. Stevie Lynn Jones was excellent in the role, which included everything from tears and a pretty difficult self-mutilation scene.

In the end, the mystery was simply finding a way to bring this guy to justice, and through a lesser-known law involving sexual tourism, they were able to do this. Chalk this up as a victory to the SVU, but still a tragedy to the characters effected.

As far as quality goes, this was for the most part well-done, but also one that was difficult. Sometimes the subject matter makes it very difficult to review these episodes; while its message was important, we wish that the story was more unpredictable. Grade: B.

What did you think about this episode tonight? Share in the comments.

Photo: NBC