Taking a Second Look at ‘SVU’

Viewers have discovered it’s possible to be hooked on both the long-running hit “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (10 p.m. NBC), which stars Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay as New York police detectives Eliot Stabler and Olivia Benson.

As the gritty cop show heads toward its third season, executive producer Peter Jankowski says no major changes are afoot. “Same cast. Same subject matter. But with the addition of Neal Baer as our show runner midway through last season, I think we’re just starting to hit our stride in terms of quality.”

What’s his chief concern? “The big challenge right now is to get people to take a new look at the show. We try to keep away from the rape of the week. That’s not what the show is about. The inner workings of the people behind the case is where we’re putting a lot of our focus.”

Where “Law & Order” is “catch ‘em and cook ‘em,” Jankowski says, “SVU” has more empathy for the victim and perpetrator. “We try to flesh out characters a bit more. And so far, it seems to be working because I don’t think they’re carbons of each other. I think they’re complementary.”

Does he anticipate any conflict with the fall arrival of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”?

“All I can say is if we put together a good show, I don’t think it’ll have a negative impact. The risk is always in diminishing the quality of the franchise, but right now we don’t feel it’s happening.”

This season’s major project will be a five-hour “Law & Order” miniseries about terrorism, which will be overseen by Baer, a former executive producer on “ER.”

“It’s the ultimate crossover,” Jankowski says with a laugh.

Tonight’s “SVU” repeat involves an attack on a college student who cannot remember the incident. The role is played by Tammy Blanchard, who earned a much-deserved Emmy nomination for her superb work on the ABC miniseries “Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.”

Surf Report

SPECIALS

“Armenians: The Story of Survival” (9 p.m. KCET) traces the history of Armenian culture.

SERIES

The execution of a condemned prisoner (William Forsythe) hits a strange snag on “Mysterious Ways” (8 p.m. NBC).

SPORTS

The Angels play the Yankees in New York (4 p.m. KCAL), while the Dodgers host the Chicago Cubs (7 p.m. Fox Sports Net 2).