USA Network to Air Second Law & Order: SVU "NO MORE EXCUSES" Marathon to Raise Awareness of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Part of Onging Partnership with the Joyful Heart Foundation and the NO MORE Campaign 

8-Hour Marathon Hosted by SVU Current and Former Cast Members, Featuring a New Special Call to Action by Chris Meloni for More Men to Help Stop Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

NEW YORK – June 19, 2014 – USA Network has teamed up with Mariska Hargitay’s Foundation, Joyful Heart, and the NO MORE campaign for the second “No More Excuses” marathon to raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault.  The eight-hour marathon on Sunday, June 22 from 3pm – 11pm ET will feature custom wraps from “Law and Order: SVU” veteran Chris Meloni as well as current stars Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Danny Pino and Kelli Giddish. The wraps and complimentary digital content will raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault, offer help to male and female victims, and encourage more men to get involved and be part of the solution. 

"Engaging men is a crucial part of the movement to address and, one day, end sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse," said Mariska Hargitay. "I am so grateful to USA for their courage, vision and generosity in joining us to involve men in saying NO MORE. Being part of NO MORE from the beginning has been a great privilege. We must confront the myths and excuses that perpetuate violence and abuse. Society continues to misplace shame and blame on survivors – both women and men. That has to end."

NO MORE is a public awareness movement focused on domestic violence and sexual assault prevention.  Supported by the major national and local organizations working to address these urgent issues, the goal of the NO MORE 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 seeks to change social norms, improve public policies, and generate more resources dedicated to prevention. More information is available at www.nomore.org.

During each episode, viewers will be encouraged to seek out additional information and resources online, including national help hotlines to speak with trained counselors and advocates. Throughout the day, USA, the Joyful Heart Foundation, 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. 

The first marathon, which aired on Sunday, April 27, averaged more than 1M viewers P18-49 and P25-54 and more than 500k in P18-34 each hour between 5p and midnight.  The episode that aired between 7-11p, when compared to SVU episodes in the same timeslot last year, delivered double digit increases across the board (+29% P18-49, +41% P25-54, +23% P18-34) with 2.6M total viewers (+18%) on average. The marathon peaked at 9/8c with the episode “Trophy“ delivering 1.1M P18-49, 1.2M P25-54 and 2.8M total viewers P2+. 

Created by Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” now in its fifteenth season, is the longest-running primetime drama currently on television.  This hard-hitting and emotional series from NBC's "Law & Order" brand chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes. The series stars Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish and Raul Esparza. 

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is a Wolf Films production in association with Universal Television.  Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer; Warren Leight, Julie Martin and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.

The Joyful Heart Foundation, created by Hargitay, has a mission is to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues.  For more information, please visit: http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org.

The #1 network in all of basic cable for an unprecedented eight straight years, USA Network is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes.  USA is a leader in scripted programming with a powerful stable of originals, spectacular live television and is home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, a broad portfolio of acquired series and entertainment events.  A trailblazer in digital innovation and storytelling, USA is defining, driving and setting the industry standard for Social TV.  USA is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal. The award-winning website is located at http://www.usanetwork.com. 

EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS: 

3:00 PM GRAY – 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. 

4:00 PM POPULAR – Detective Stabler (Meloni) learns from his wife that her friend, a nurse at a local hospital, treated a young rape victim who refused to report the crime to the authorities or her family. Guest stars include Christopher Orr and Brittany Slattery.

5:00 PM WEB – A mother is devastated by the revelation that her 8-year-old son has been sexually abused years after her ex-husband was sent to prison for molesting her older child, whose DNA now implicates him in his brother's case. Dana Eskelson and Joel de la Fuente guest star.

6:00 PM PERSONAL FOULS – As Coach Ray Masters 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.  Guest stars include Camelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Mehcad Brooks and Aaron Tveit. 

7:00 PM CRUSH – A teenage girl who sent text messages containing nude pictures of herself is found beaten up. She faces a harsh sentence from a judge, after being arrested for producing and distributing child pornography. Carly Schroeder guest stars.

8:00 PM NOCTURNE – A sharp-eyed photo developer puts Detectives Benson (Hargitay) and Stabler (Meloni) on the tail of a seemingly harmless piano instructor who molests his students. Guest stars include Peter Francis James, John Benjamin Hickey and Elizabeth Ashley.

9:00 PM DESPERATE – After a young boy witnesses the brutal sexual assault and murder of his stepmother, his father blocks the efforts of the detectives to question him. Haviland Morris and Richard Thomsen guest star.

10:00 PM GONE – Doug Waverly and Nick Pratt are charged with rape and murder in the disappearance of a Canadian student after Nick's cousin, Jason King, claims that, while he had consensual sex with her that night, the other two raped her. Guest stars include Teddy Eck and Barry Bostwick.