Is ‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 17, episode 20 new tonight? Scoop on reality TV episode

Before we move on to some episode scoop on “Law & Order: SVU,” we have to start here with the rather-unfortunate news that there is not a new installment airing on NBC tonight. As has been the sad tradition as of late, we’re still on hiatus, otherwise known as a means to have the May sweeps as jam-packed as humanly possible.

The show will return with new episodes on Wednesday, May 4, and what we’ve got for you today is some of the first news on the upcoming May 11 installment called “Assaulting Reality,” which has been referred to in some circles as the episode inspired by “The Bachelor” / “UnREAL,” which in turn was inspired by “The Bachelor.” We’re not going to make a one-for-one comparison between “SVU” and the ABC reality show based on the synopsis below, but there are probably going to be some similarities insofar as a depiction of reality TV production:

“The producers of a reality dating series make Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and the SVU part of the show when they investigate a contestant’s claim that she was raped.”

There are a few episodes remaining beyond this one, and we imagine that some of those will help to further influence the direction going into season 18. With “Assaulting Reality,” we are more than likely going to have a one-off story that does get some heavy publicity around the time it airs just thanks to what it is depicting. These sort of terrible crimes can be committed anywhere, and we’re rather lucky that this is not a story specifically inspired by any one terrible event in the real world.

(Photo: NBC.)