"DNA Doesn't Lie:" Genetic Essentialism and Determinism in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) (1999-present) is a popular primetime drama that spotlights the use of genetic information to solve crimes. Despite the show's heavy reliance on the forensic use of DNA evidence, the role of genetics in defining family and identity arises in complex ways. Many episodes wrestle with social, ethical, and legal questions that reflect assumptions about genetic essentialism and genetic determinism, but counterarguments about the importance of non-biological relationships, social factors, and legal entitlements are given equal or greater weight. For this study, we identified and viewed 38 episodes from SVU's first twenty seasons centered on genetic themes in non-forensic contexts. Two recurring themes emerged: (1) that the role DNA plays is only one factor in a complex web of biological and social considerations that shape our understanding of kinship; and (2) that genetic predispositions to behavioral traits such as mental illness or violence should not be seen as obscuring the responsibility of personal choice. By treating genetics as a complex source of information requiring social context to be understood, SVU allows audiences to play an active role in interpreting its meaning.