On Sunday, August 30th, USA Network will air a special “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” ‘NO MORE Excuses’ marathon featuring stars of the Network’s original hit series lending their support for the effort to end domestic violence and sexual assault. The marathon, in partnership with Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation and the ‘NO MORE’ campaign, will include custom wraps and PSAs with important information and resources during each episode from 12pm/11c to 11pm/10c.
USA Network talent participating in the effort includes “Suits” stars Gina Torres, Patrick J. Adams and Sarah Rafferty, “Graceland” stars Aaron Tveit and Daniel Sunjata, “Royal Pains” star Mark Feuerstein, “Mr. Robot” star Rami Malek, and “WWE” Superstar John Cena. The marathon will also include original wraps with Mariska Hargitay and other current and former SVU cast members such as Raul Esparza, Kelli Giddish, Chris Meloni, Danny Pino, Peter Scanavino and Ice-T. The episodes in the marathon include a plethora of guest stars including: Gloria Reuben, Maria Bello, Peter Gallagher, Jason Beghe, Jesse McCarthy, Kathy Griffin and Sophia Bush.
“It’s been a great privilege being a leading partner in ‘NO MORE’ from the beginning,” said Mariska Hargitay, founder of the Joyful Heart Foundation. “Society continues to misplace shame and blame on survivors—both women and men. That has to end. By confronting the myths and excuses we rely on to avoid ending domestic violence and sexual assault, ‘NO MORE’ fills me with confidence and renewed determination that we will put an end to the violence.”
The 11-episode marathon will address various issues including domestic violence, sexual assault and child sexual abuse. During each episode, viewers will be encouraged to seek out additional information and resources online, including national hotlines to speak with trained counselors and advocates. Throughout the day, USA Network, Joyful Heart, and ‘NO MORE’ also will use social media platforms to encourage conversation and inspire greater action to stop and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. People can follow and join the dialogue by using #NOMOREexcuses.
‘NO MORE’ is a public awareness campaign designed to engage bystanders around ending domestic violence and sexual assault. The ‘NO MORE’ PSAs, produced by Joyful Heart and directed by Hargitay, highlight the myths and excuses that create misplaced blame on survivors and allow perpetrators to escape accountability. The goal of the PSA campaign is to help normalize the conversation and break the social stigma surrounding domestic violence and sexual assault. By increasing visibility and fostering more dialogue, ‘NO MORE’ will change social norms, improve public policies, and generate more resources to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. More information is available at www.nomore.org.
USA Network has been a leading champion of the effort to stop domestic violence and sexual assault, teaming up with Joyful Heart and ‘NO MORE’ more than a year ago to create the “NO MORE Excuses” SVU marathons. Throughout five marathons held since April 2014, more than 25 million viewers have tuned in and gotten critical information and support. The National Sexual Assault Hotline operated by RAINN, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and other ‘NO MORE’ coalition partners have seen tremendous increases in calls and website traffic during each marathon. For example, during the April 2014 marathon, the National Sexual Assault Hotline saw a 106% increase in the number of people helped; the National Domestic Violence Hotline had a 21% increase in calls; 1in6.org experienced a 116.2% increase in web traffic and the ‘NO MORE’ website received a 2,463% surge in traffic. In addition, the hashtags #sayNOMORE, #NOMORE and #NOMOREexcuses trended nationally during the marathon.
EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS:
12:00PM – LEARNING CURVE (Season 13) – As Detective Tutuola’s (Ice-T) son prepares to tell his father that he is getting married, his fiancé is brutally assaulted by a local street gang.
1:00PM – SOPHOMORE JINX (Season 1) – After a female student is murdered at a local college, Benson (Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) turn their attention to the school’s basketball team. However, the college blocks their investigation at every turn because they are not willing to risk the negative publicity that the investigation could bring to the school and the upcoming championship.
2:00PM – ABUSE (Season 2) – Stabler (Meloni) and Benson (Hargitay) suspect parental neglect may have led to the tragic death of the son of two famous singers, leading them to fear for their little girl Ashley. Benson realizes that the career-obsessed parents are ignoring Ashley and that her desperate cries for attention have led to a pattern of physical injuries.
3:00PM – RIPPED (Season 7) – When a teenage baseball star tries to rape a friend, his actions are attributed to “roid rage,” while Stabler’s (Meloni) own rage issues come to the surface.
4:00PM – PERSONAL FOULS (Season 13) – As Coach Ray Masters (guest star Dan Lauria) is inducted to the Metro Basketball Hall of Fame by former students Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, an ex-player accuses the coach of sexually abusing him as a child.
5:00PM – FRIENDING EMILY (Season 14) – An underage girl disappears after following her older sister to a college party in Manhattan. The SVU detectives mobilize to recover the missing girl but find themselves thwarted by a high-tech kidnapper using the internet to cover his tracks.
6:00PM – GRAY (Season 12) – Benson (Hargitay) and Stabler (Meloni) discover that an accused campus rapist may have used a drug to make his girlfriend have an abortion without her knowledge.
7:00PM – PIXIES (Season 2) – The investigation of a gymnast’s murder involves her strict trainer, a wealthy benefactor and a competitor (guest star Kate Mara).
8:00PM – CLOSET (Season 9) – An investment banker’s death leads to the agent of a professional football quarterback who seemed to be having an affair with the victim. Meanwhile, Benson’s (Hargitay) dating of a newspaper editor (guest star Bill Pullman) causes a conflict with her position at the department.
9:00PM – LEGITIMATE RAPE (Season 14) – A popular sports reporter (guest star Lauren Cohan) seeks out Detective Benson (Hargitay) to accuse a cameraman (guest star David Marciano) of rape and stalking. The SVU squad and ADA Barba (Raúl Esparza) begin their preparations for a difficult trial when the victim learns she is pregnant as result of the rape.
10:00PM – GRIDIRON SOLDIER (Season 15) – A college recruit from Georgia becomes a victim of team hazing and violence in New York City.
