Trump Has Inspired a Law and Order: SVU Episode

It's set to air 2 weeks before election
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 12, 2016 4:18 AM CDT
Law and Order: SVU Plans Trump-Inspired Episode
Gary Cole will star in the Trump-inspired episode.   (Photo by Victoria Will/Invision/AP)

If you're looking for a TV show to distract you from the ugliness of the race for the White House, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit may not be the best choice: The show's Oct. 26 episode will star Gary Cole as a politician whose campaign goes "haywire" after "several women go public with damaging accusations," according to a plot description seen by CNN. The NBC show has already had episodes this season inspired by the San Bernardino shootings and the Steven Avery case, and showrunner Rick Eid told the Hollywood Reporter last month that they might "explore a story involving some sort of brash demagogue with political ambition."

According to Deadline Hollywood, NBC originally planned to air the episode, titled "Unstoppable," this week, then planned to broadcast it the day after Election Day, and finally settled on Oct. 26, which is a week after the final presidential debate. Sources tell Variety that the politician played by Cole is a "wealthy and boorish" character, and the episode came in for extra scrutiny—and a few storyline changes—from network bosses out of concerns about tone and fairness. (NBC is severing ties with Billy Bush over his language and behavior on the 2005 Trump tape.)

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