An upcoming episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" will indirectly cover the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal that continues to rock Hollywood.
Michael Chernuchin, the executive producer of the NBC drama, confirmed a 2018 episode of the show will be inspired by the Weinstein saga after dozens of women accused the disgraced filmmaker of sexual harassment, sexual assault or rape.
"We are hitting Harvey Weinstein head-on, but it's not in the realm of the entertainment business," Chernuchin told Entertainment Weekly. "It's a real important episode about the rape culture in an industry, and we wanted to try stretch the law to criminalize that sort of environment."
The episode will focus on impropriety within the airline industry rather than the film realm, according to Chernuchin. The show's makers had already happened to be writing the episode even before the Weinstein allegations emerged.
"We were beating the story out and said, 'Wow, this is exactly what the actresses go through in Hollywood. It's the same environment.' So we got all of our Harvey stuff out with airline pilots," Chernuchin.
"SVU," which has long been known for tackling real-life headlines and scandals in episodes, has not announced an official premiere date for the episode.
Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Lupita Nyong'o are among the women to accuse Weinstein of making an unwanted sexual advance earlier in their careers, while Rose McGowan is among those who have accused Weinstein of rape.
Weinstein, 65, has since parted ways with his production studio, The Weinstein Company, and has attended treatment in Arizona. His wife, Georgina Chapman, left him amid the scandal.
